Tory
by KaraSkinner
Summary: When out at a karaoke bar with his friends, Hyde gets blown away by a girl who can sing Led Zeppelin like nobody's business. But it isn't long before he realizes that she isn't like most girls. In fact, he might have found someone with a worse home life than his. Can he help her before it's too late? And can he also stop himself from falling in love with her?
1. Chapter 1

"Man, why are we here?" Hyde asked. "Karaoke is for losers."

"Hey," Fez pouted. "I love karaoke."

"Yeah, but that's because you're foreign," Hyde said. "It's acceptable for you. For regular Americans, though… it's just wrong." Ugh, if someone tried to sing one Abba song he was out of there.

"Hey, remember what we all came here for," Foreman pointed to the sign near the stage. "First prize gets a twenty-four pack of beer, oh yeah." He grinned.

Hyde nodded. Free beer was nothing to sneeze at. "There's just one problem to this little plan. One of us is going to have to sing."

Kelso laughed. "Hey- you should sing, Hyde. I think I see some of Edna's old boyfriends at the judge's table. They'll probably let you win since they did it with your mom."  
Hyde punched Kelso as hard as he could on the shoulder. "What did I tell you about talking about Edna, man?"

Kelso sighed. "That you would duct tape me in a stall in the girls bathroom again."

Hyde smiled. "That's right." While Kelso sulked, Hyde quietly took a couple of deep breaths to calm down. He couldn't let one idiot make him break his zen, after all. Even if that idiot was talking about Edna and reminding him of his less-than-stellar childhood.

"I'll sing," Fez said. "I sound better than the rest of you idiots anyway. And none of the ladies in the room will be able to resist me if I do."

"Good luck, buddy," Hyde said. Fez was seriously horny all the time, which was really annoying to listen to all the time. Maybe if he actually found a girl, then he would stop complaining. And if it was through lame-ass means like karaoke, then all the more power to him.

Fez went up to talk to a group of women near the bar. Kelso looked at him and grinned. "Oh man, he's found some seriously hot chicks. He'd better bring them over here so I can get a piece of the action. Oh screw it, I'll do it myself." He got up to join Fez with the chicks.

Eric sighed turned to Hyde. "Look, man, I think I'm screwed here. If Red ever finds out I won beer in a karaoke contest, he'll never let me hear the end of it. And I don't know which part he would react worse to- the beer or the karaoke."

"Oh, it would definitely be the karaoke," Hyde said. "But relax. Fez is singing. If everything goes south, we can pin it all on him."

There was a shout from behind them. "Hey! How many times do we have to say we're not interested before you get the picture, dillholes!"

"Fine!" Kelso shouted. "But we all know you're interested in me. Slutty girls like you are always interested in me."

Hyde looked over at the scene. He couldn't decide what to do: intervene, or let them make asses out of themselves.

Fez went to grab one of the girl's asses, though, and that settled it for him. He wasn't going to let his perverted friend assault an innocent girl just for a few laughs. "Hey," he said, putting his arm around Fez's shoulders. "I think we should all sit down. Excuse us, ladies."

"Hey!" Kelso shouted at Hyde. "We all know what you're trying to do here, Hyde. You're just trying to get me and my good looks out of the way so you can have the girls all to yourselves."

Hyde handed Fez off to Eric, who was right behind him. "You caught me," he said dryly. "That's why I'm about to sit down at the table with you guys. And you have a girlfriend, man!" He punched him in the arm. "Stop being a douche."

"I suggest you listen to your friend," one of the girls said. "Sit down if you don't want to get hurt." It was the same girl who had told off Kelso before. Hyde glanced at her and then immediately had to take another glance. She was gorgeous. She had bright blue eyes that didn't give anything away, and a soft, pouty mouth. Her brown hair was tied back in a braid that went down her entire back. She was sexy as hell, even if she wasn't really Hyde's type. She was seriously scrawny and a little too short for his tastes. Even her tube top and mini skirt looked too big on her. But for some reason Hyde couldn't stop looking at her.

"Hey," Kelso said. "I know you want me. Stop trying to deny that you're falling for my hotness." He reached out to grab her and before Hyde could pull him out, the girl grabbed Kelso's arm and twisted it behind his back. Kelso groaned. "Okay, I am not turned on by this."

"Walk away now," she hissed, pushing Kelso away.

"Wow," Hyde said. 'Nice move, man."

She smiled slightly as she sized him up. "Thanks. Comes in handy when handling assholes. I'm Tory, by the way."

"Call me Hyde. So, your friends drag you to the karaoke as well?"

"No," she said. "I'm here to get the second prize- free cheeseburger and fries."

"You don't want the beer?" There was no way she could be a square, not with the outfit she was wearing and the way she handled Kelso.

"Hey, a beer's good now and then, but not on an empty stomach. You can enjoy a cheeseburger all by itself."

He was about to reply when the announcer called up Tory's name. "Nice meeting you, Hyde," she said as she walked by him. He caught a scent of citrus as she brushed past him. It was the best smelling perfume he had ever had the pleasure of sampling. He grinned as he sat down. Fez and Kelso glared at him. "Hey, don't steal girls from me," Fez said. "It's not nice. I could have had them both if you hadn't interfered."

"Fez, you were about to get yourself arrested for sexual assault. Never grab ass without permission, man. If you do, then they have an excuse to get rid of you when they realize you're a foreigner." It was also seriously rude and disgusting, but he wasn't about to say that. People might start confusing him with Eric if he did.

"Hey, Fez, you might not have had a real chance with them since you're foreign and all," Kelso said. "But I really did. Until Mr. Bad Boy here had to break up the party."

"Kelso, she almost broke your arm," Eric said. "Girls don't do that if they like you."

"What about when Donna broke your arm?" Kelso said. "Remember when you guys had that arm wrestling contest and she slammed your arm so hard against the table that it broke?"

Eric sighed. "First of all, it was only a fracture to my wrist. Second of all, that was an accident. She said so herself after she stopped laughing."

Hyde laughed. "Good times," he said.

Just then, the instrumental track to "Stairway to Heaven" started blasting over the speakers and Hyde tensed. If this person ruined his favorite song, then he was going to kick their ass.

Just then the smoothest alto voice belted out the lyrics. It sent shivers down Hyde's back and he turned to look at the stage to see Tory up there, confidently singing the lyrics. She wasn't even looking at the lyrics on the monitor. She smiled as she sang it and for a second he thought she was looking right at him. His mouth went dry. No one was able to do Zeppelin justice. But somehow she was. It was perfect and haunting. Who knew what she could do if she actually had a live band backing her up.

"Wow," Eric said. "She was good." He looked at Hyde. "I think she gave Hyde a heart attack."

Hyde scowled at his friend. "No," he said. "I'm just surprised she didn't completely ruin Zeppelin." He turned back to the table. "She's all right."

"I think she sucks," Kelso shouted at the stage. "No girl who turns down me is going to be good!"

Hyde punched him in the shoulder. "Moron."

The crowd went wild after Tory's performance. No one after her measured up, not even Fez, even though he sang pretty well, with a great dance which, as usual, impressed everyone and made them slightly uncomfortable. Hyde kept looking around for Tory, but she was nowhere to be seen after that. That is, until they announced the winners. Tory got first place. Fez got second.

"Damn it!" Kelso shouted. "We needed the beer, Fez! What the hell are we supposed to do with a free cheeseburger?"

"It's not my fault some singing goddess was here," Fez said. "Screw you, I was good."

"Hey," a voice said from behind Hyde. He turned to see Tory.

"Hey, Tory," he said. "Congratulations on winning."  
"Thanks," she grinned. "But actually, I was wondering if I could trade prizes."

"Wait, wait, wait," Eric said. "You want to trade twenty-four cans of beer for a cheeseburger?" he laughed. "What's your angle?"

"No angle. I want the cheeseburger," she said. "Ask Hyde, he knows."

Hyde nodded. "It's true."

"Wait," Kelso gave Hyde a stupid frown. "You guys know each other? I knew you were stealing her away from me!"

"We talked for a couple of minutes, moron," Hyde said. "Fez, man, trade up."  
Tory and Fez traded the vouchers. "Thanks, guys," she said. "Nice meeting you all."

"Hey, hold on a minute. Why don't you stay a little bit? We'll give you a beer."  
She shrugged, but Hyde swore she saw her expression get a little more shuttered. "Thanks, maybe some other time. But I've got to go now. Talk to you guys later." She waved and left, leaving Hyde with the strange impulse to go after her.

 _Hold it together. She's just a random chick. A very cool chick with a super hot voice, but still just a random chick._ He was still a little disappointed when they left the karaoke bar without seeing Tory again.

The four of them all went to the water tower to drink the beer. They were all goofing off and joking around. Kelso almost fell off the water tower again, but Hyde grabbed his ankle in time and pulled him up. By the time they were heading back, everyone but Hyde had forgotten about Tory. He held on to the memory of her, though. After all, he had to face Edna that night. It would be nice to have something to take the edge off of whatever was waiting for him at home.

Hyde was the first to be dropped off. He went into his home and found Edna with some random guy passed out on the couch. "Nice," he said. "Can I have his wallet?"

"Don't be ridiculous," she said. "I already took it. You can have his watch." She lit a cigarette and sized up her son, blowing smoke in his face. "You've been drinking, haven't you?"

"So? You have, too." Hyde grabbed the poor sucker's watch from off his wrist and examined it. It was a cheap knock-off. Worthless. With some disgust, he tossed it back on the man. "What does that matter?"

She sneered at him. "You're worthless. Just like your father."

"So you keep telling me. I'm going to bed."

"What, with the house a mess like it is, you're just going to go walk off and sleep? Yeah, I can see what respect you have for your mother!"

"Clean up yourself, Edna! I'm the only one who ever does chores around here." He felt anger brewing inside of him and he stormed off before he took it too far. Instead, he shut himself in his room and locked the door so his mom wouldn't come in and steal his wallet for booze, like she had done in the past. He lied down on his bed and closed his eyes, picturing Tory's bright blue eyes and hearing her smooth alto voice in his head.


	2. Chapter 2

Hyde was positive he would never see Tory again. She would be chalked up as some of the few ladies who got away from him. Not that he had been really trying to get her. She still wasn't his type. She had been around his age, but he couldn't find her at school, so she must go to Sacred Heart, the private school in the next town over. Which meant she was rich. He hated rich girls. He couldn't even stand Kelso's girlfriend, Jackie, and she was the only rich girl he had to tolerate. Why tolerate another one?

Hyde made himself comfortable in Eric's basement, as usual. Donna and Eric were also there, being all sickening by staring into each other's eyes. They had just become official, which Hyde was just beginning to accept. He had had a huge crush on Donna, but was starting to get over it.

"So Hyde, Eric tells me a girl made you drool?" Donna asked, laughing. "Have you finally found a girl you can't handle?"

"I wasn't drooling," he snapped. "She just sang well, is all."

"There was some definite drool," Eric said. "Besides, it's been a week since karaoke night, and you still think about her."

"No, I haven't. I don't even remember her name."

"Wasn't it Tina-"

"Tory," Hyde said automatically. "Shut up."

Eric and Donna laughed. "I think it's sweet," Donna said. "Hyde's got a crush on someone who isn't me."

"Yeah. Get bent."  
Just then, Kitty came down into the basement. "Oh good, Steven and Donna are here. I need to ask your kids a favor. I'm volunteering at the homeless shelter today, and they could really do with a few volunteers.I would like the three of you to volunteer with me."

"Mom, I can't, remember? Dad and I are supposed to fix the Vista Cruiser tonight," Eric said.

"I'll go," Donna said. "I'm happy to help."

Kitty beamed at Donna. "Thank you, Donna. You're so sweet. Steven?"

"I'm not exactly a volunteer kind of guy, Mrs. Foreman," he said.

"Volunteers get a free meal," she said.

Hyde shrugged. He wasn't about to turn down free food. Especially when it wasn't Edna's cooking. "Then I'm in," he grinned.

She smiled at him. "Excellent. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

He seriously doubted that. But it would be worth the free meal.

The Point Place Homeless Shelter was a very sad establishment. It was a dilapidated building with not enough funds to provide food and heat. Men and women alike slept on the ground in an open room that also served as the dining room and living room. The whole place smelled like booze, cigarettes, and misery.

It reminded Hyde of home.

The line of homeless getting dinner came through. Hyde scooped mashed potatoes onto all of their plates before Kitty gave them soup and Donna gave them crackers.

"See? Isn't this nice?" Kitty said.

"It's sure great, Mrs. Foreman," Hyde said dryly. Even though this was incredibly boring, Kitty's enthusiasm was infectious and he didn't want to stop it. "So much fun."

"Hyde?"

Shock ran through him as he looked up to see Tory. Was he actually hallucinating, or was she in the line to get food. "Tory?"

She smiled at him. "I didn't take you to be the volunteer type."

"I'm not," he said. "What are you doing here?"  
"I live here."

Before he could get over his shock, Kitty butted in. "You know Tory? She's just such a lovely person. I always enjoy seeing her when I volunteer here."

"Yeah, we, uh, met before," Hyde said. "What do you mean you live here?"

"Exactly what I said. Can I have some potatoes, or am I going to have to steal some when you're not looking?" she smirked.

Hyde got over his shock and spooned out the food. Tory flashed him another smile as she continued down the line. Hyde gazed after her, serving the rest of the homeless on autopilot. She was dressed differently than at the night of the club. She wore ripped jeans and a threadbare flannel shirt that somehow made her skinniness even more noticeable. _She's probably that skinny because she doesn't get enough food._ He winced at his thoughts of her being a rich girl. Apparently her life was even worse off than his.

"So that's Tory?" Donna said when they were done volunteering and were eating themselves. "She doesn't seem like your type at all."

"That's because she's not," he snapped. He stirred his soup, suddenly not that hungry. "She's too skinny."

"Aw, you like her," Kitty said. "I can tell. You should go talk to her."

"No. And I don't like her." He glanced over at Tory, eating in a corner. She was curled up on the floor under a threadbare sheet. Her face was in a book while she ate her food. He hoped she had real blankets somewhere for nighttime. The entire place was heated by a dinky little space heater and it got cold in Wisconsin at night.

"Talk to her," Donna said. "You should."

He sighed. "Fine, I'll go. But just so you two stop pestering me." He set down his food and walked over to Tory. She looked up and smiled at him when he came over. "Hey," he said.

"Hi."

"So, how's it going? That cheeseburger everything you hoped it would be?"

"Even better," she grinned. "How was that beer?"

"Perfect," he smiled at her. "So what are you reading?"

" _1984._ I've already read it a thousand times, but it's still so good."

"No way. That's one of my favorite books." He grinned. "Its grim ending is everything we need to fight against, so the government can't do complete domination like they do in this book."

She giggled. "It's not total domination," she said. "I mean yeah, it's close, but not total."

"What are you talking about? Winston was the last one, man. And then the government tortured and brainwashed him!"

She laughed. "Oh, hell no," she said. "All of his girlfriend's ex-lovers and the proles aren't brainwashed. Actually, the proles could make a pretty damn good uprising. They outnumber the party and they're smart when they want to be. See? Hope's not lost."

He shook his head. "You're seeing hope where it doesn't exist, man."

"And you ignore any hope you see because you like being angry all the time."

"I'm not angry all the time. I have a range from mildly annoyed to furious."

"Hey, you can be angry. I think it's sexy, actually." She grinned and then stood up to take care of her tray. Hyde stared after her as she went. He wasn't sure if he had ever met a hotter girl than Tory.

She walked him, Donna, and Kitty to the entrance. "So, Tory," Donna said. "Where do you go to school?"

"Oh, I'm not going to school. I dropped out last year."

"Well, that's just silly. All teenagers should graduate high school," Kitty said. "What do you plan on doing without a high school diploma?"

Tory shrugged and Hyde kept himself from jumping to her defense. He had almost dropped out a few times because he didn't want to deal with the bullshit of it and would rather get a job. The only things keeping him in was it got him away from Edna during the day and it pissed off the principal that he refused to drop out. "I'd like to get my GED eventually," she said. "At the moment, though, I'd rather find a job so I can save up money."

"Oh, well that's very responsible of you," Kitty laughed awkwardly. "Well, I hope you have a good night, Tory."

"Yeah," said Donna. "And we totally need to hang out sometime. Come by the high school tomorrow around three."

Tory smiled. "Cool. See you guys tomorrow." She waved goodbye as the three of them left the homeless shelter.

"I can't believe Tory lives here," Donna said. "What are the odds, right?"

"Yeah," Hyde said. "What are the odds." Somehow he had managed to find someone with an even worse life than him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait, wait, wait, she lives in a _homeless shelter_?" Jackie wrinkled her nose. "Ew! But good for you, Hyde. You found another poor person to be happy with."

Hyde sighed. "Nobody asked for your opinion, Jackie."

"Nobody has to ask. I'm generous with my opinion." She cuddled up against Kelso in on the basement couch. "I can't believe I have to hang out with so many poor people."

"We're not asking you to," Hyde snapped. "Feel free to leave."

"Well, maybe I will. This place is boring, anyway." She got up and flounced out of the room.

Hyde sighed and looked at Kelso. "Dude, your girlfriend is seriously getting on my nerves. Can't you get her to can it? She'll get her ass kicked by Tory if she goes around saying how gross poor people are."

"You won't have to be around her much anymore. I'm breaking up with her."

Hyde rolled his eyes. Kelso had been saying that about Jackie as long as he had been dating her. He doubted it was going to happen anytime soon. But it bothered him anyway. Jackie was super annoying and represented just about everything he hated, but Kelso was a seriously uncool boyfriend. "Look, Kelso man, either break up with her, or don't. But stop saying you're breaking up with her every time she leaves the room and stop hitting on other girls while you're dating her. You're actually making me feel bad for Jackie."

"Don't feel bad for her, you hate her! Besides, what does it matter what I say to you guys about her? It's not like she's going to find out. Besides, I'm really going to break up with her. Once I get a great moment, I'm gonna do it. So why pass up on totally hot chicks just because of a girlfriend I'm gonna break up with?"  
Hyde sighed. "Whatever, man." If he really tried to make Kelso comprehend how much of a douche he was, he might make his brain explode.

Just then the basement door opened, and Donna, Eric, and Tory walked in, all of them laughing. "Hey, Hyde," she said as she plopped on the couch closest to him. "How's it going?"

He shrugged. "Fine. Boring. You?"

"Great. I'm surprised I didn't see you at school." Eric and Donna had given Tory a ride to the basement from the school.

"I skipped last period and walked here."

"Yeah, Hyde's not exactly a model student," Eric said. "Even Kelso does better in school than he does."

Kelso laughed. "Yeah. I do."

"I am a model student," Hyde smirked. "I'm a model of what _not_ to do."

"Hyde, did you know Tory is from New York City?" Donna asked. "She came here like two weeks ago."  
"You're from New York? Why the hell did you come here?"  
"I wanted to get out of the city," Tory said. Her gaze darkened for a second before being replaced by her usual happy facade. "I needed a change of pace, so I chose a spot on the map and hitchhiked out here."

Hyde shook his head. "I can't believe you came here willingly, man. And from New York. Everyone I know wants to get out of here."

She shook her head. "No, I like it here. It's nice and secluded. Fantastic."

Hyde couldn't help but wonder why she would want seclusion. Unless she was running from something in New York. "Well, it's cool that you're here, man."

"Hey, Tory, do you want to stay for dinner?" Eric asked. "My mom's making fried chicken."

"That sounds great, if it's not any bother," Tory bit her lip. "I wouldn't want to put anyone out, though."

"You won't be," Eric said. He leaped off the couch. "I'm going to check anyway."

Hyde knew that by "check" Foreman meant he was going to beg and plead Red into letting Tory stay for dinner. Ever since Red was cut to part-time at the plant, there was a strict "no friends fed" rule in the house and if Eric was going to risk Red's wrath to make an exception for Tory, then the two of them must have hit it off quick.

"So, Tory," Kelso grinned. "Remember me from karaoke?"

"Of course," she said. "Your arm still hurt from when I twisted it?"

"No!" He rubbed his arm anyway. "And you didn't really twist it, I was just playing along."

"Kelso, your eyes were tearing up, man," Hyde said. "She got you and she got you good."  
He gave an indignant shriek at Hyde. "No!" He looked back at Tory. "Anyway, I know you were confused because of my hot body and all, but now that you've gotten a little more used to my looks, maybe you and your friend from that night would like to go out with me and then do it."

"Sorry," Tory said. "My friend was actually my date that night. I can tell you for sure that you're not her type, and frankly, you repulse me, so no."

" _What_?" Everyone said at once.

"Hang on," Hyde said. "You're a lesbian?" Disappointment surged through him even while he got turned on by the idea of hot girl-on-girl action. But unlike porn, lesbians were completely off limits in real life.

"No, I'm bisexual," Tory said "My date was a lesbian, though."

"What's bisexual?" Kelso asked.

"It means she likes girls and boys," Donna said.

His mouth dropped open. "Those _exist_?"

"Yup," Tory said. "Believe it or not, we do."

Hyde flushed. He had grown completely hard now at the thought of Tory making out with another girl. That was the stuff of fantasies and apparently for her it was a reality. Maybe he could even get her to make out with a girl in front of him…. Hyde closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to cool himself. He was only a few seconds away from losing his zen if he kept thinking about Tory that way.

Fez came in, ending that conversation. He held up a bag of M&Ms and grinned. "The best thing ever from this country! Chocolate!" He plopped down on the couch beside Tory. "Would the singing goddess like some?"

"Sure. I'm definitely not one to pass down free food." Tory took a small handful of the candy. "Thanks."

"Anything for a goddess." He grinned at her.

She flushed. "I'm not a goddess."

"You sing like one. And you gave us beer, so you're generous like one as well."

She rolled her eyes. "That was simply an exchange. I wanted food, you wanted beer. I didn't do it to be nice."

"But-"

"Fez," Hyde said warningly.

His friend pouted. "You always try to silence me. Typical white man."

Eric came down the stairs. "Good news- Tory, you can stay for dinner. But you can only have one piece of chicken and you need to fill up on mashed potatoes." He rolled his eyes. "Red's rules. Sorry."

Her eyes widened. "Thank you so much!" She said. "I can't wait!"

Hyde's chest tightened at seeing her happiness about the food. He had often been in the same situation and he knew from experience that it sucked. _Damn, she must be really starving_. He wondered what she would look like if she had enough to eat. Probably curves in the right places, with perfect-

"Hey, earth to Hyde!" Eric snapped fingers in front of his face.

Hyde blinked and batted Eric's hand away from him. "Don't do that," he growled.

"Hey, where did you just go, man?"

"Nowhere," he snapped. "Mind your own damn business."

"Ooh, Hyde is getting embarrassed," Fez said. "Were you thinking about the wonderful goddess?"

"No," he flushed. "Shut up."

Tory appeared not to be paying attention. Instead she was watching television. But he could have sworn he saw her smirk knowingly.


	4. Chapter 4

Tory became accepted in the group almost immediately. Having her come over became expected, and she got along with everyone, even Jackie. Somehow, she was able to make everyone like her. She even won Red's heart with a conversation about the Packers.

Hyde liked having her around. She was a lot of fun to hang around with. But she was dangerous, too. He was attracted to her, and even worse, he felt like he could trust her. He had to stop himself from confiding in her about his mom more than once. He knew that she, more than anyone else, would understand what he was going through. But he couldn't trust her. Trusting people had screwed him over too much in the past, and he barely knew her. He needed to keep his distance from her for his own sake. So when he found her in his house a month after she started hanging out in the basement, he was furious.

He came home from school already in a bad mood from English class, where his teacher had the balls to claim the main character from _The Mayor of Casterbridge_ was a sympathetic character, even though he had sold his wife and child in a drunken rage. _Think he's a good guy? Tell that to the kid he abandoned._ He wasn't even in the mood to face his friends, so he had come home straight after school where he wanted to escape to his bedroom and smoke a joint to cool off. But when he walked in, he found Tory and his mother chatting in the living room. He froze when he saw them.

Tory looked up and smiled at him. "Hi, Hyde."

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded. "When did I give you permission to come into my house?"

"It's not your house, it's my house," Edna said. "And I wanted to meet one of your friends for once. It's not like you let me meet them ever."

"I wonder why. I should be proud to let my friends spend time with my violent alcoholic mother," he said. "Get out, Tory. Don't come back here."

Tory frowned, concern etching her face. "Sorry," she said. "I-I didn't know I was overstepping-"

"Well you are! None of my friends are allowed over here, got that? And you're barely my friend. Just because you hang out in Eric's basement doesn't mean we're best buds."

Her expression went cold. "Good to know," she hissed. She held up his backpack before throwing it at him. It hit him in his chest so hard that he stumbled back. Damn, that girl had strength. "You left your fucking bag at school. Eric asked me to make sure you got it." She looked back at Edna and smiled. "It was nice meeting you, Edna. Thank you for the tea." She stormed out of the house, not giving Hyde another glance.

Hyde glared down at the half-empty mug of tea on the coffee table. She and Edna had been having _tea_? Edna didn't have tea. She had shots, and lots of them. "What the hell were you thinking, inviting Tory in?" He grabbed the mug and went to kitchen to dump it out. "Tell me you weren't going to rob her."

"That's what you think of me as a mother, huh? I would just rob your friends?" Edna lit a cigarette. "Don't be ridiculous."

"Ridiculous? You pickpocket everyone you can within a ten foot radius of you." Edna had even stolen his money to feed her alcoholic addiction.

"Well you don't have to worry about me pick-pocketing Tory. She's too smart. She didn't accept the beer I offered, and she didn't even let me make her tea, so I couldn't drug her."

Hyde sighed, feeling relief. Thank god Tory was street smart. If it had been Eric or Jackie they would have woken up groggily with empty wallets and maybe even articles of clothing missing. "Tory's sixteen. And homeless. And you you tried to drug and rob her. Real classy, Edna."

"Oh sure, insult me. Just like your father."

"Go to hell." Hyde went into his room and locked the door behind him. He lit a joint and tried to relax. He shouldn't have blown up at Tory like that. But he hated that she had seen his place, had met his mother. All of his friends knew his home life wasn't exactly happy go lucky, but he was very careful to keep them from seeing it first hand. Now Tory had seen the rat poison dumped loose in the corner, the rips in the sofa, and the loose, moldy screen door. She had even met Edna, who even on her best behavior, was not a treat to be around.

 _Damn it, Hyde, what's she going to do? Pity you? She's not like your other friends. Just accept that._ He couldn't, though. Because it wasn't just her income status that made her different. It was everything else, too. Hyde finished his joint and grabbed his jacket. He needed fresh air. He needed to go to the water tower.


	5. Chapter 5

Tory went to the water tower that night. She needed to get away from others, and from the shelter to just think for awhile. She had remembered how peaceful it seemed the last time she and the gang had come up here, so she figured it was as good a place as any.

Even though she was alone, she couldn't help blushing and looking around as she took her worn sheet out of her bag and wrapped it around herself. She didn't really need to think. She needed privacy.

Under the cover of the sheet, she unsnapped her pants and pulled them down a little, and then her panties. The pressure had been building up inside of her for several days. If she did this at the shelter, some asshole would take her masturbating as an invitation to join in. And obviously she couldn't do it in Foreman's basement, even if she was alone. But this was the water tower. She wouldn't be bothering anyone here, and they couldn't bother her.

She sucked in a breath as she touched her clit and her damp folds. She had been so wet and slick it had soaked her underwear and made her even more aroused. Tory moaned as she slowly started to fuck herself with her fingers. It felt so good, and she had prime fantasy material to help her out: Steven Hyde.

After her anger at him had wore off, she was able to appreciate just how sexy he was when he was angry. He was sexy anyway, but when he was angry, with his jaw clenched and his biceps flexed, it looked like he could fuck a girl hard in all the right ways. She smiled. She might be used to taking care of herself, but that didn't mean an alpha guy wasn't still a turn-on. She fucked herself with her fingers faster, imagining Hyde's cock inside her, thrusting urgently. He'd hold her down and thrust his tongue inside her mouth as he moved. She'd be helpless under him, and she'd enjoy every minute of it. His hands would grab and twist at her tits and he'd slap them if she tried to resist. She'd grind her hips against his and he would growl his approval as he moved lower to kiss and nip at her neck. Then she imagined him cumming inside of her and Tory came herself, letting out a loud moan and a low gasp as the orgasm shook her body. She calmed down and slowed her fingers, enjoying the feeling of her cum against her hand.

"Wow," said a voice that sent chills down her spine. "That must have been some fantasy."

Hyde didn't see much, since Tory was covered with the sheet, but the sounds she had been making alone was enough to drive him crazy. His erection was aching to be freed and he knew he would have to take himself in hand more than once that night if he wanted to function again.

Tory jumped when she saw him and guilt and mortification flashed across her face. She scrambled under the sheet, probably putting her pants back on. "I had no idea anyone else was up here," she said. She took off the sheet and stuffed it back into her bag. Sorry, I'll go now. Sorry-"

"Hey, relax," Hyde grabbed her arm before she could go. "I'm not about to tell. Or judge you for that matter. You wanted some privacy. I get it."

Tory still refused to meet his eye and guilt still covered her face. What _had_ she been thinking about? What aroused her like that?

She pulled her arm away and he thought he saw fear on her face as well. Oh man. He had been really angry earlier, and he knew he could be pretty scary when he was angry. The last thing he wanted was for her to fear him. Eric, Kelso, and Fez should all fear him, yes. And he was damn proud of that. But Tory? Never. "Listen man, I'm sorry about earlier. I know I overreacted. You didn't do anything wrong."

Tory swallowed and nodded. "Thanks. I should have thought before staying, though, I know. I won't go over again."

He sighed and sat down on the water tower, gesturing for her to sit beside him. Tory hesitated a second before doing so. "You were fine. I promise. And I'm sorry for right now, for, you know, looking." He smirked at her as she blushed.

"I can't believe you of all people caught me doing that." She covered her face with her hands.

"Why me of all people? Unless…" he smirked. "It was me, you were thinking about." Lust and pleasure ran through him at the thought that he could have made her sound like that without him doing a damn thing.

Her face got even redder and she turned away. "It doesn't matter."

"It _was_ me, wasn't it?" He could barely hide his shock behind his zen. "Oh man. You're one dirty, dirty girl, aren't you?"

"Oh please, like you've never gotten off with images of Donna or Jackie in your head."

"I've never been caught by them."

Tory groaned. "Damn it. This is so embarrassing." She buried her head in her arms.

"Hey," Hyde gently moved her arms away from her face and tilted her chin up so she was looking at him. "It's sexy. And maybe I have thought about Donna and Jackie in the past, but tonight, I'm going to be thinking about you."

Her eyes widened and she gasped softly. Lust darkened her gaze and Hyde couldn't resist looking at her. All of her. His gaze traveled from her face to her long, elegant neck and tiny curves. Hints of skin showed here and there from where her shirt rode up and from where the fabric was torn. She was exhausted, malnourished, and a little bit dirty and she was still as hot as hell. When his gaze went back to her neck, though, he frowned. There was a huge bruise on it as if someone had tried to choke her. "What happened?" He asked, reached to touch the bruise.

Tory slapped his hand away. "Nothing," she snapped. "Slipped and fell." She got up. "I have to go."  
"Liar." He stood up and grabbed her, pinning her to the water tower. She tried to knee him in the groin but he pressed his thighs against hers. "Stop, Tory," he growled. "I know all your moves, so I know how to stop you. Quit it! I'm not going to hurt you." When she finally stopped struggling, he tilted her chin up and looked at the bruise. It was a definite hand print. Anger made him practically shake at the sight of it. He relaxed his hold on her and backed away. "Who did that to you."

"Nobody," she muttered. She crossed her arms over herself and took a couple steps back, looking like a cornered animal.

"Cut the crap, Tory. Who was it? Someone at the shelter? Who?" His blood ran cold. "Did Edna-"

"No," she said, scowling. "Stop it! It doesn't matter."

"It does if you're in danger. Tory-"  
"You're one to talk." Tory grabbed Hyde's wrist and held it up, displaying a fresh cigarette burn. Edna had given it to him the other day. He was practically unstoppable and had a reputation that could keep even Edna's boyfriends from messing with him sometimes, but she was the one person who he couldn't defend himself against. And she loved rubbing that in his face now and again. "Edna gave this to you. Don't try to deny it. God, Hyde, you're such a hypocrite. Don't lecture me about how safe I am when you're in just as shitty a situation as me."

"What do you want to hear?" He shouted. "Yeah, she put a cigarette out on my wrist, so what? It stings for a few days, and then it'll scar. Somebody…" his voice cracked. Hyde cleared his throat. "Somebody tried to choke you, man. You could have died."

Tory looked down at the ground. "I woke up before he could finish," she whispered. "He might have given me a bruise, but I gave him a damn good concussion that will last a lot longer." A cold wind blew at them and Tory shivered, rubbing her arms to keep them warm. Hyde automatically took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.

"Damn it, Tory," he whispered. "We gotta get you outta there, man."

"Well, what am I exactly supposed to do? Move in with you?"  
"No." He would gladly have Tory stay with him if all he was worried about was his mother. She'd give him a lot of crap about having a girl in his room and one more mouth to feed. She would probably beat him for it, too. But he could handle that if it meant getting Tory out of the shelter. It was his mom's sleazy boyfriends that were the problem. They would attack Tory without thinking twice about it. She could defend herself well, but not much could stop a three hundred pound man high out of his mind. "We'll… we'll think of something."

"I'll be all right, Hyde. It's not a big deal."

He sighed. She was just as stubborn as he was, and just as defensive. He put an arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him as they looked out over Point Place. "So what was I doing in the fantasy?"

She grinned and shoved him away. "As if I would tell you, you perv."

Hyde laughed. "Come on, man. I'm curious!"

After leaving the water tower, Hyde walked with her to the sketchy part of town. He watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was still wearing his jacket, and had it curled around her as if it was the most amazing thing in the world. He had never seen her in anything warmer than a flannel shirt even though it was winter. And by now he was pretty sure she didn't have any blankets or anything. Just that worn sheet. He might not be able to give her a safe place to stay, but he could keep her from freezing to death. "Tory, man, I have a favor to ask," he said. "It's a pretty big favor."

"What is it?" She asked. She looked up at him curiously. There wasn't a hint of wariness in her expression, which made his chest tighten slightly. The fact that she actually seemed to trust him meant more to him than anything.

"I have this old sleeping bag in my room that's basically just clutter and junk. I've been meaning to get rid of it for some time now, but Goodwill is a little out of the way for me. Can I just give it to you to throw out or whatever?"

Tory smiled up at him. She knew exactly what he was doing, of course; she wasn't an idiot. But she was grateful he was letting her keep her pride. "Well, I guess, if you really need to get rid of it, I can help you out."

Hyde grinned. "Thanks, man. I appreciate it."

Tory nudged him in the side. "What are friends for?"

They stopped at Hyde's house on the way to the shelter. He grabbed her hand and led her around back to the backyard. That way she was out of the street and Edna wouldn't ever know she was there.

From the backyard, Hyde opened the window to his room and jumped inside. "Wait here," he whispered. He went to his closet and grabbed the sleeping bag. It was a nice sleeping bag, one of the few nice things he owned. It had a thermal lining and was designed for two people. He couldn't believe he was actually happy to give it to somebody.

He handed it over to Tory as soon as he was out of his room again. "Thanks again, man. Come on, I'll walk you to the shelter. It'll give me a few extra minutes to find out what you were fantasizing about."

Tory giggled. "I'll never tell you," she said.

He smiled. "What if I tell you one of my fantasies about you? Then would you tell me?"

Her smile disappeared and her eyes widened. "Have you really?"

"Once or twice." The trust was, he'd been fantasizing about her since the karaoke bar, but he wasn't going to tell her that. No one could know how much power she had over him. Especially not her.

She shook her head. "Mine's kind of embarrassing. Your fantasies are probably normal."

"First of all, there's nothing about me that's 'normal'. I throw things at people who are normal. Second of all, at least one of the fantasies I've had about you would either send you running and screaming, or would cause you to kick my ass."

She bit her lip as she looked up at him. "I can't wait to hear them sometime."

Her quiet words made him immediately grow hard again. She was going to be the death of him. He knew it.

Hyde didn't speak again until they reached the shelter. "I have another favor to ask. But seriously feel free to turn this one down."

"What is it?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Can I kiss you?" His voice grew husky with need, but he didn't care. Not when she was looking at him with those bright blue eyes.

She bit her lip again, different emotions playing out on her face. Fear, need, happiness, and longing. "One one condition," she whispered. "You take off those glasses first."

Hyde hesitated. He wore the glasses to keep people from seeing his face. He had since he was thirteen. Only his friends ever saw him without them, and those were on rare occasions. Without his glasses, everyone could see his emotions and thoughts plain as day. It was next to impossible to keep his zen intact without them. _Relax, man. All she'll see right now is that you want her, and she already knows that._ Hyde slowly took off the glasses, staring right into Tory's eyes. Without the glasses tinting his vision, she looked even more beautiful. "Better?"

She smiled. "Perfect." She kissed him, her mouth opening against his and betraying her own lust and wanting. Hyde wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him as he did so. Tory wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands burying themselves in his curls. She sighed happily as his tongue explored her mouth slowly and gently.

Tory may be tough and fierce, but she was also so vulnerable. Wrapped in his arms, she felt so tiny and fragile. The bruise on her neck was proof enough that she could be hurt. And Hyde was damned if he was going to the one who hurt her. She moved cautiously against him, as if she was a kitten trying to trust a pit bull. Her hips melded to his as her hands slowly came down to stroke the sides of his face, sending shockwaves of pleasure through him until he was barely hanging onto sanity. Damn, he was already on the verge of cumming, and they hadn't even removed any clothing yet. He finally broke off, breathing hard. "If we don't stop now then I won't be able to control myself."

Tory nodded, shakily. She looked up at him, studying his face and Hyde felt completely naked without his glasses. What was she seeing? Did she see the Point Place delinquent like everybody else? Or just a guy who couldn't get enough of her? She smiled up at him. "Thank you, Steven," she said.

Shock and pleasure ran through him at the sound of his first name. Normally he hated it when someone used his first name. But it was incredibly sexy coming from her. He smirked. "Steven, huh?"

She nodded. "When I make out with someone after they see me pleasuring myself then I insist on a first name basis."

"Fair enough. See you tomorrow?"

Tory nodded. She shrugged off Hyde's jacket and handed it over to him. "Thanks for letting me borrow that, by the way."

"Anything for you." He swallowed. He had almost called her "doll", his usual line for his conquests. But the word stuck in his throat. It wasn't right for Tory.

"Goodnight, Steven."

"Goodnight, Tory."

Anxiety filled him as she went inside the homeless shelter. Not just because he feared for her safety but because his guard was completely crumbling around her. One kiss and she could completely destroy him if she wanted to.


	6. Chapter 6

Hyde stayed the entire day of school the next day. The classes were incredibly boring, but they also took his mind off of Tory a little bit. Not even taking himself in hand the night before had taken the edge off of the desire Tory had put in him. Maybe he couldn't stop thinking about her, but it was hard to have a boner while constantly listening to monotones. After last period, he met Eric, Fez, and Kelso by the Vista Cruiser. Donna and Jackie were going shopping, so he knew they wouldn't be around. But Tory wasn't anywhere to be found, which surprised him. "I thought Tory met you guys here everyday." He rarely finished a day of school, so he usually saw her in the basement when she came back with the others.

"She does," Eric said. "I wonder where she could be."

Kelso gasped. "Maybe she's making out with her hot girlfriend!" he said. "We can watch some live girl-on-girl action if we find them."

Hyde punched Kelso in the arm. Kelso rubbed it, glaring at Hyde. "Rude. As if you don't want to see girl-on-girl action."

"I think something's wrong, man. Let's check out the shelter, to see if she's there before going to the basement." Hyde glared at Eric, daring him to complain about the inconvenience.

"Fine, whatever," Eric said. "She might already be at the basement, though. Or she just didn't feel like coming over."

"Stupid, why would she want to stay at the homeless shelter when I give her free candy?" Fez said.

"Just get in the car and let's go!"

The five minute drive to the shelter was too long for Hyde. He felt more and more anxious as they went. He kept thinking about that bruise on her neck. Maybe the asshole had tried to finish the job, concussion or not.

He didn't even wait for the car to be stopped before jumping out and heading to the shelter. Once inside, he looked around, but Tory wasn't in sight. A volunteer came up to him. "Can I help you, sir?" He asked.

"I'm looking for a girl around my age named Tory," he said. "Is she here?"

The man's face was grim. "Come with me." He led Hyde to a back room in the homeless shelter. Tory was lying down, unconscious on a small cot. His heart stopped when he saw her. She was bruised and battered all over. Her clothes were torn until they were barely decent and untreated wounds bled openly on the floor. "We found her like that outside the shelter last night. She hasn't woken up since."

Grief and anger waged war in Hyde as he looked at her. "Why wasn't she taken to a hospital?"

"She doesn't have insurance. We can take her there when she can't pay. They'll just refuse her."

"What kind of a fucked up system is this if someone attacked on the street can't get medical help just because they can't get any money?" _Stupid corrupt government Nazis._ "Whatever. Get out of my damn way." He gently picked up Tory, cradling her head against the crook of his neck. He carried her outside. "Foreman!" He shouted. "Start the car!"


	7. Chapter 7

Foreman sped all the way to his house, even running red lights. "It's going to be okay. Mom will take care of her." He said, his face grim.

"Is she dead?" Fez whimpered.

"No!" Hyde shouted at him. "She's not, and she's not going to die! Shut up!"

"God, Hyde!" Kelso shouted at him. "We're all scared, all right? Don't take it out on poor Fez."  
"Sorry, man," Hyde muttered. He knew his friend hadn't done anything wrong. But Hyde was freaking out inside. Tory hadn't moved at all and he was scared that they had been too late. _They didn't even bandage her wounds._ Who knew how much blood she lost? He was practically trembling with anger. He didn't know who he wanted to kill more, whoever attacked her, or the volunteers that dumped her on a cot and abandoned her.

When they got to the Foreman's, Kelso and Fez helped Hyde carry in Tory while Eric ran ahead to get Mrs. Forman. Red came out immediately. "What did you dumbasses do?"

"She was attacked," Hyde said. "At the shelter. They wouldn't treat her because she doesn't have insurance."

Red rolled his eyes. "Of course. Dumbasses. Get her back in the car. We're going to the free clinic."  
Eric and Mrs. Foreman came out a second later, Mrs. Foreman carrying a first aid kit. "Okay, okay, she's going to need space, so Eric, honey, you and your friends follow behind us in the Vista Cruiser to the hospital."

"I'm not leaving her," Hyde said. "Please, Mrs. Foreman, this is my fault. I'm not leaving her."

"Steven, unless you personally beat her up, then it's not your fault," Red said. "Don't be a dumbass. But you can ride shotgun anyway."

He got in the car and quickly twisted around to see Kitty getting Tory's body situated so it was lying down before kneeling on the floor in front of her and opening the first aid kit. Hyde swallowed. He didn't care what Red thought. It was his fault. She had been attacked right outside the shelter. He should have at least walked her inside, or better yet, stay the night with her so no one would hurt her. _Damn it, I am a dumbass._

"Steven do you know who Tory's parents are?" Kitty asked as she took Tory's pulse. "Or where they are?"

"No, she never talks about them. I don't know if they're dead, or what, but they're definitely not in the picture."

"I was afraid of that," Kitty said. She sighed. "The hospital is going to want to find them."

Hyde hadn't even thought about that. Of course the hospital would want to find them. But that didn't mean they should be found. He knew better than anyone else that sometimes it was better they were out of the picture. _Damn, what if they call social services_? There had to be a better solution than shipping her off to a foster home.

The doctors brought Tory in immediately. Mrs. Foreman had treated and bandaged her wounds, but she still hadn't woken up.

"Are any of you relatives?" One of the nurse asked.

Before he could change his mind, Hyde blurted out. "I'm her brother."

Everyone looked to stare at him, but he had made up his mind. He wasn't going to let Social Services take her. Nor was he going to let her stay at the shelter any longer. Not even Edna's boyfriends could do that much damage to her.

The nurse nodded, appearing to accept this. "She's going to need a blood transfusion. Are you the same type as her?"  
"I don't know her blood type," he said. "But I'll do it. I'm O negative." He silently thanked himself for donating blood the year before. Not only did it get him out of class then, but it paid off now.

"Come with me, please," she said. "Everyone else will have to wait here. She's in critical condition, so only family members can see her."

Hyde thanked every god there was that he came up with that lie.

An hour later, Tory was being stabilized and Hyde was in the waiting room with a bandage on his arm and a juice box in hand. He was lying down on the chairs with his eyes shut, waiting for the room to stop spinning. Everyone had gone home already except the Formans.

"What kind of dumbass gives blood on an empty stomach?" Red said. "You trying to get a hospital bed right next to he?."  
"I didn't know I was going to be donating blood, Red," he said quietly.

"Red, just sit down, honey. We're all worried about Tory, but you yelling at Steven isn't going to help matters," Mrs. Foreman said. "But Steven, why did you lie to the doctors? That was just stupid."

He sighed. He couldn't expect Mrs. Foreman to understand. "Look, they can't call Social Services on her. Besides, family member only have visitation rights. Somebody needs to be there when she wakes up."  
"Right," Eric said. "You totally love her, man."  
"Love's got nothing to do with it, Foreman. If no one's there when she wakes up, she's going to rip the IV out and make a run for it."

"Now that's just silly," Mrs. Foreman said. "Why would you think that?"

"Because that's what I would do." Hyde risked sitting up and was relieved when his vision didn't go black. He choked back the nausea and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes.

"Well, what's going to happen to her after she's discharged?" Mrs. Foreman asked. "She can't stay at the shelter, not in her condition."

"Well, she can't stay with us," Red said. "We can't even afford to feed Eric, let alone her."

"Why don't I stay a couple of nights at Kelso's?" Eric asked. "Yeah, that'll work out. Tory can stay in my room and eat my meals, and let's face it, you would prefer having her around to me anyway."

"Watch it, smart mouth," Red said. "But that's a valid idea."

"She can stay with me," Hyde said. "We're supposed to be siblings anyway."

"Hyde, Edna would never go for it," Eric said.

"I don't care if she 'goes for it'. As far as I'm concerned, she doesn't have any say in who I bring over if I don't have any say in who she brings over."

"No, no. I'm sure we can make it work." Kitty looked at Red with her hands on her hips. "Can't we, Red?"

"Kitty-"

" _Can't we, Red?_ Because if not, I can think of a cranky bald man who could go without dinner to save a beaten and helpless orphan."

Red sighed and forced a smile. "Sure. It'll be great."

Hyde breathed a small sigh of relief. At the Foreman's, Tory would be totally safe. The most dangerous thing about that place was Laurie. And she was gone to college most of the time.

A nurse came back. "Tory's stable," the woman said. "She has a severe concussion and a lot of broken bones. But we think she'll wake up in the next day or two. Young man, you can go in and see your sister now, if you would like."

"Thanks," Hyde said. "Hey uh, when do visiting hours end?"

"Family members can stay around the clock."

"Perfect." He stood up and nearly collapsed again as nausea hit him like a brick wall. His vision blacked out for a second but he swallowed and forced himself to stand. Eric caught his arm.

"Whoa," he said. "Maybe you shouldn't be standing yet."

"I'm fine, man," Hyde shrugged him away. "I'm going to go be with my _sister_." He couldn't stop from grimacing slightly. The charade was necessary, but brutal when the thoughts he had for Tory were anything but sisterly.


	8. Chapter 8

Tory woke up groggy and nauseous. Everything smelled like chemicals and her entire body felt heavy. She groaned and shifted, wishing she could just go back to sleep and the nightmare would all be over.

"Hey," a voice said. "You're awake. Before you say anything to anyone, just know that I'm your brother."

Tory looked over at Hyde and groaned. "Where am I? And if you're really my brother, then that's some messed up shit and I'll have to throw up."

"You're in a hospital, man. And we're not actually related. It was family-only visiting and I didn't want you to jump out a window when you woke up."

Tory grinned. "I would totally do that." She looked over at him again and spotted the white bandage on his arm. "Oh my god, Steven what happened?" She reached out and pointed at the bandage and found herself exhausted from just that motion. That wasn't going to do at all. She'd be helpless in the shelter if she didn't get off these drugs.

"You care about my arm when you're in a hospital bed?" Hyde scowled at her. "What are you, nuts?"

"You're hurt. How bad? Can I see?"

"No. And I'm not hurt. You needed a blood transfusion." He took off the bandage to show the small bruise surrounding the pin prick from the needle. "See, I'm fine."

Tory's mouth dropped open at those words as a flurry of emotions assaulted her. Shock, happiness, guilt, and fear all went through her. He had given blood for her? She shook her head and curled up in the blankets. "You shouldn't have done that. I would have been fine."  
He sighed. "First of all, no. You wouldn't have been. Second of all, don't think anything about it. I only did for the free food they give blood donors. I'm not a wuss like Eric. It was the easiest juice box and cookies I had ever earned."

Tory smiled at him. "Aw. How do you know exactly how to make me feel better?"

Hyde smiled back. "I just know."

Tory tried to turn to him but she winced when the IV pinched her arm. Hyde's smile crumbled. "Try not to move, okay? You're really hurt." He looked at her, his concern evident even behind the sunglasses. "What happened, man? Do you remember?"

Tory closed her eyes and tried to. Everything just felt so blurry. She remembered big figures and excruciating pain. That was it. "There were four of them," she finally said. "I couldn't defend myself against all of them. That's all I remember."

"Oh, Tory," he said softly as he stroked her hair. "I'm so sorry."

She frowned. What did he have to be sorry about? He hadn't been anything but nice to her. She was the one causing all the fuss. "Stop confusing me," she grumbled. "I can't think straight." _They're going to kill me when I get back to the shelter._

"You don't have to," Hyde said. "I'm here for you. You don't have to be on your guard, so just relax."

She nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm gonna sleep," she said. "But I think I'll want food when I wake up again."

"Whatever you want, man." He said softly. The last thing Tory remembered as she drifted off was Hyde stroking her hair.

He never left her at all when they were in the hospital. He even stayed the night despite Tory yelling at him to go home. At least, she think she did. Her time was all blurry from the heavy drugs they gave her. But she knew he was always there. He made sure she was warm enough and that her meals and tea was always hot and fresh. He also did just about all of the communication with other people for her. She was too tired to deal with the doctors and nurses most of the time and since it was family members only, she couldn't visit with her new friends, so Hyde took care of all that. He brought in cards and flowers from everyone as well as news. He did whatever she wanted except tell Mr. and Mrs. Foreman that she didn't want to move in.

"It's what's best, Tory, and you know it. You'll be safe there."

"They can't afford to take me in, Steven," she said. "You know that, I know that. Everyone knows that."

"Look," he said, sighing. "I know they seem like they're in desperate times but think about this: if they were really that bad off, Red would have kicked Eric to the curb a long time ago."

She scowled. "I'm going to be a sucking parasite on them."

"No, that's Laurie's job. You're going to be Mrs. Foreman's pet project." He grinned. "She's going to smother you with overbearing good intentions. You'll be missing the shelter before long." He raised an eyebrow. "But if you want to suck something, I think I might have a suggestion."  
She flushed but smirked. "That's pretty crude talk for a _brother_."

"No one's around, babe. I can say what I want." He grinned at her. "But you're living with the Foreman's. And that's final."

Tory groaned. "You're mean."

"I know." He grinned. "That's a pretty important part about who I am."


	9. Chapter 9

Tory spent a week in the hospital. By the time she was allowed to be discharged, her head was clear and she could walk by herself. But of course, Hyde was still with her the entire time.

"So," he said. "Jackie wanted me to tell you that Pam Macy was a huge bitch and tried to seduce Kelso, but Jackie was able to scare her away. Also, she found some super cute heels that are a little too big on her, but too small for Donna, so she wants to see if they will fit you. They will class up your look if they do- her words. Also, she's not sure if she prefers sexy scarlet lipstick, or a more innocent pearly pink…. Um, there was also something about silk blouses versus cotton sundresses. I'll go check." He got up.

Tory laughed and stopped him. "No, I'll ask her myself," she said. "I get to see her again today. So you can stop being the messenger."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank god," he said. "I don't know how much Jackie Storytime I could take."

She smiled. Hyde had to be one of the sweetest guys on the planet. Why he was so caring about _her_ she would never know. "Thanks, Steven."

He smiled at her. "I like it when you call me Steven," he said. "You know, usually I hate it when others call me by my first name, but it sounds nice from you."

"Well, uh, good." She shrugged. "I don't know why I started."

"Well, you don't have to stop." He moved closer to her and grabbed her in a hug. Tory tensed, panic welling up in her from being surrounded by him again.

Hyde immediately stepped back, anguish clear on his face for a second before he became unreadable. He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm sorry." Tory closed her eyes, trying to fight down the panic. _Damn it, Tory, it's just Steven! He'd never hurt you_.

"Tory, you were attacked by four guys. I don't blame you for being nervous."

She turned to him and scowled. "That doesn't matter," she said. "Yeah, I was, but so what? I shouldn't be flinching around _you_. It's not like you attacked me."

"It doesn't matter, man. Look, don't feel bad because you don't want to be touched. It's natural."

Tory sighed. "Let's just go out and join the others."

Once they were outside, Mrs. Foreman immediately hugged Tory, squeezing her so hard that Tory wasn't sure if her bones would re-break or not. Then she started crying. "I missed you so much!" she said. "I was so worried." Tory fought to remain calm, but all she wanted to do was run away. Affection was nothing she was used to.

"Hey!" Hyde shouted. "We talked about this. No tears. No tight hugs. None of that." He gently moved Mrs. Foreman away.

"I'm sorry," Mrs. Foreman sighed. "It's just so heartbreaking thinking about a young girl being beaten…" everything else dissolved in tears. Mr. Foreman gathered his wife up in his arms.

"It's okay, hon," he said. "All right." He mouthed 'sorry' at Tory and then led Mrs. Foreman to the car.

Tory breathed in the fresh air as soon as they were out. "What are the chances I can skip town before Mr. and Mrs. Foreman find out I'm gone?"

"Tory, I swear to god, I will go back in there, steal sedatives, chase you down, and stick you with them."

She scowled "You're no fun."

"No," Hyde said. "I'm a ton of fun. You're grumpy."

She stuck her tongue out at him and went to the car, opening her door before Hyde could. "Loser." She smirked at him.

"Dork."

"Oh, for god sakes, just get in the car," Red yelled. "You don't have to continue playing brother and sister."

"Thank god for that," Hyde said.

"You're just grumpy because that nurse said she could see the resemblance."

"Well, yeah," Hyde said. "We look nothing alike."

"We both have blue eyes."

"Can it."


	10. Chapter 10

Edna hadn't really cared that Hyde had disappeared for about a week. In fact, she had barely noticed him gone. But Red and Mrs. Foreman were adamant about him going back to school.

"You've already missed a week of classes. If you're not careful, Steven, you'll be drowning in homework," she said as she packed him a lunch. "You don't want your grades to slip."

He grimaced. The state of his grades wasn't something he had thought about in a long time and he wasn't about to start now. "Thanks for the lunch, Mrs. Foreman," he said glumly.

"Steven," Red said. "I know you want to be with Tory. But I don't want you in the house any more than you have to be. So you're going back to school and I'm gonna make sure you don't sneak back in."

He nodded. "Yes, Red." That was too bad, because that had exactly been his plan. He would much rather hang out with Tory all day than go to school. Then again, he would much rather do anything than go to school.

Eric and Kelso were already waiting in the Vista Cruiser when he came out. "Dad shot down your plan to sneak back in, huh?" Eric said.

"Yeah. This bites, man." He opened the paper bag and smiled when he found a turkey sandwich and an apple inside. All Edna had in the fridge was a half empty six pack and a moldy bottle of ketchup, so he hadn't had breakfast yet. He tried to hide his satisfaction as he bit into the apple. "Now I have to go to school. I hate school."

"Ooh!" Kelso said. "Let's go to the water tower with bottle rockets!"

Hyde scowled. "No," he said. "That's lame, man."

"No, Kelso, the problem with Hyde isn't that he doesn't want to school. He wants to stay with Tory." He chuckled. "Because he loves her."

"How many times do I have to tell you I don't love Tory?" Hyde shouted. "She was attacked a week ago, man! I'd have to be a monster to be completely indifferent about her now."

Kelso laughed. "No, Foreman's right. You do love her. You've been so clingy, getting her food, getting her flowers, sleeping in the same room as her without doing it. She's got you whipped, man."

"Kelso, you call Jackie every night because she likes it when you commentate shows," Hyde said. "You can't talk about being whipped."

He shrieked. "No! I am not whipped. If I was, then I wouldn't be sleeping with Laurie."

"You're sleeping with Laurie? You're going to get a disease, man!" _Not to mention it makes you an asshole!_ Damn it. Now he felt bad for Jackie. What was this world coming to?

"Look, my friend, the question is, why aren't you? She's hot. And she's easy." Kelso snorted. "It's a no-brainer!"

"It's because he's in love with Tory!" Eric laughed.

Hyde punched him in the arm. "Shut up!" he said. "And you better not talk like that around her. She'll start getting ideas."

"Sounds like Hyde has already been rejected by her," Kelso said. "Burn!"

"I wasn't rejected because I _don't have feelings for her!_ Get bent." Hyde sighed. More like he wasn't going to act on his feelings. It was one thing before the attack, but she was way too vulnerable now. The last thing he wanted was to hurt her and she couldn't even stand him hugging her. He hated the way she had cringed when he put his arms around her. Having a girl be scared of him like that was one of his worst nightmares. It was exactly how Edna acted around Bud all the time before he left. He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, trying to block out the memories. Who was he kidding? He couldn't have a girlfriend. After all, he would end up just like his father. And he couldn't treat Tory like Bud had treated Edna. He just couldn't. She deserved better. So Tory was off-limits.

It was a long day at school before he could go back to see Tory. Red sighed when he saw Hyde go through the kitchen. "Don't you have anywhere else to go? She's sleeping! Why are you disturbing the peace?"

"Well, for your first question: no. Edna has a 'friend' over. For your second question: disturbing the peace is my hobby. And I always hang out here. I'm not here to check on Tory."

"If you were here to hang out, you would have taken the back door." Red rolled his eyes. "If she's still asleep when you get up there, then you leave without waking her up. Kitty won't feed me if she's disturbed."

Hyde nodded. "Okay."

Until she was completely healed, Tory was in Eric's room while Eric took the basement. She was awake when he came in. She smiled at him. "Hey," she said. "How was school?"  
"Hellish," he said. "Like school always is."

Her eyes glinted with mischief like they did before her attack. That gave Hyde hope that she would be all right. "Well, I'm going to be starting when I get better. Mrs. Forman's rules. Will it really be that hellish?"

"Well, if you're there, then no." He grinned. "At least not for me, uh, and uh, the gang. It'll be torture for you."

She groaned. "You should have let me skip town. Now I'm being smothered and I'm in a house with rules and I'm being forced to go to school. This is terrible."

"Yeah, I hear the words coming out of your mouth, and all I'm hearing is 'I love my new home, I love it I love it, I-"

She punched him on the shoulder, laughing. "Fine. It's not that bad." She pushed away the blankets, revealing a pair of Laurie's cotton shorts and a skimpy tank top. Even with all of the bruises, the sight of her skin could arouse Hyde to the point of madness.

Tory grimaced when she saw his look. "I know I look like a total slut. Mrs. Foreman grabbed all of my clothes and said they needed to be washed three times at least before they would be wearable again, so for the mean time I'm wearing this. It's from when Laurie was thirteen. It was the only thing that fit me."

Hyde nodded. "Yeah. She was a slut then, too. But the clothes look great on you." He grinned. "Definitely great."

She slapped his chest. "Perv."

"Always," he said. "And proud of it."

Tory raised an eyebrow at him. "By the way, does Eric keep a stack of _Playboys_ under his bed? Because I was sure I saw some when I got in the room, but bending down makes my head all dizzy-"

"You- you want to look at _Playboys_?" Shock and arousal filled him at the thought. "R-really?"

"You have a problem with that?" A strand of dark hair fell in her face and Hyde had to ball his hands into fists to keep from tucking it back behind her ear.

He shook his head and reached down to grab the magazines. "Knock yourself out."

Tory grabbed one and leaned back, reading it as if it was _Vogue_ or something. She had an expression of mild fascination on her face as she read it. Hyde broke out in a sweat with the effort it took to keep his hands off of her. Watching her read _Playboy_ was just too much. _She's off-limits! Cool it!_

There was a knock on the door and Eric came in. "Hey, sorry, I just needed to grab…." his mouth hung open when he saw Tory reading _Playboy._ "Oh my god. You're reading…." he laughed slightly and then fainted.

Tory pumped her fist in the air and tossed down the magazine. "Yes! I was wondering if that would work."

"Wait a minute," Hyde said. "Did you think up a plan to make Foreman faint while we were in school?"

She nodded. "There's really not much to do here," she said.

Hyde laughed. "That's awesome."


	11. Chapter 11

Tory living with the Foremans soon became old news. She got along with them fine. Eric was happy to have her there because it meant one more person against Laurie and Tory did all of his chores. Red was glad to have someone to watch football with who wasn't Bob, and Kitty just enjoyed having another person to take care of. The only fights that ever seemed to happen was when Tory thought they were treating her _too_ well. And it was quite amusing for Hyde to watch.

Hyde, Eric, and Red were in the kitchen, playing a small game of poker when Tory came in, dressed in a Fatso Burger uniform. Hyde grimaced when he saw her. She had only been given the go-ahead to take walks yesterday and she already got a job? Why the hell couldn't she just take a rest?  
"What the hell are you doing?" Red said, getting up. "What are you wearing?"

"My uniform," she said. "I work at Fatso Burger now."

"Wait, wait, wait, _Fatso Burger_?" Eric scoffed. "You don't want to work at Fatso Burger, trust me. It seems like just a part time job, but it will control and ruin your life, man!"

Red scowled. "No kid living under my roof is getting a job. You need to go to school, get good grades, and leave."

"Sorry, Red," Tory tied her hair up in a bun. "But I'm going to be late for work. If my job messes up my grades when I start school again, then I'll stop."

"You're not even going to start!" He threw his hands up in the air. "Kids these days. You know, when I was your age, my parents told me to shut up and be quiet, and I obeyed, because I was grateful for what I had."

Tory's eyes were cool. "That's funny, I remember my uncle saying something similar to me in my bedroom when I was eight." She smiled sarcastically. "I'll see you guys later." She moved past Red and went out the door.

Red stood in the middle of the kitchen, speechless. Eric had his mouth open too, and Hyde was trying to keep from vomiting at what she implied.

"Wow, dad," Eric said. "Your 'my childhood was worse than your spoiled childhood' argument finally doesn't work on someone."

"Shut it, smart mouth," Red said. He sat back down at the table and sighed. "It's still true as far as you're concerned."

"I've never seen anyone stand up to you like that, Red," Hyde said when he finally trusted himself to speak again. "She's got b-... guts, man."

"This happened earlier," Eric said. "Just the other day there was this huge blow-up about where she was going to sleep. Mom and Dad still wanted her to have my room for at least another week but she was pretty adamant about switching places with me in the basement." His face reddened. "She made some pretty unflattering comments about how I couldn't keep sleeping on a couch because of my delicate ways."

Hyde laughed. "I'm surprised Red hasn't threatened to put his foot in her ass yet."

"Oh, he did," Eric said, grinning. "And I believe her exact words were 'uh, no you won't' and then she walked out of the room. It was beautiful."

"Eric," Red said as he cleaned up the poker game. "Go to your room."

"Yes, sir," he said, getting up.

Hyde helped clean up the game. "Sounds like it's been tough having her over here."

"No, not really," Red said. "She's actually all right. More useful than Eric to be sure. But she's just so damn stubborn. And I don't understand why she got a job and why she wanted the basement- you don't think she's bringing boys in, is she? No girl is bringing boys in in my house."

 _Well, not since Laurie went to college, at least._ "Look," Hyde said. "If half of what she says is true, then you and Mrs. Foreman have treated her better than anyone else has. And she doesn't know how to handle it. So she tries to make herself as useful as possible while disrupting your lives as little as possible. That's why she wanted Eric to have his room back and I'll bet you anything that she'll take her Fatso Burger money and give it to you guys for bills."

Red grimaced. "If she even tries that, then my foot really will go in her ass."


	12. Chapter 12

Everyone was hanging out in the basement, watching TV. Or, at least Kelso, Jackie, Fez, and Eric were watching TV. Donna and Tory were chatting while Tory folded laundry, and Hyde was trying to forget that Tory was in his line of vision, wearing a very tight t-shirt and jeans. After several weeks of Mrs. Foreman's cooking, she was less scrawny and more curvy, just like Hyde liked them. The more apparent her curves became, the harder it was for him to hide his arousal. He really needed to get laid. But no other girl measured up to Tory. Unless he got over her like he got over Donna, then he was screwed. Well, _not_ screwed. Which was the real problem.

Laurie came down the stairs. She scowled when she saw Tory. "Great. Dirty Orphan Annie's here. Shouldn't you go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of?"

"Shouldn't you go back to whatever guy's car you crawled out of?" Tory scoffed and folded another shirt.

"Look, mom and dad might feel sorry for you, but I see you for the little leech you really are." Laurie shoved Donna aside to move closer to Tory. Hyde saw her quickly tense, ready to fight. A sick and twisted part of him really wanted the girl fight to happen, but mostly he really wished Laurie would disappear and stop bothering Tory. Laurie poked Tory in the chest, glaring at her. "I know you stole my red heels. They were in the room this morning and now they're gone. It has to be you. Stealing is just part of your nature."

Tory's face was unreadable. She had her own version of zen that kept her temper in check. "First of all, I wouldn't steal your stuff. I dressed up as the Whore of Babylon for Halloween last year, and I don't do repeats. Second of all, that's what you get for letting a guy with a foot fetish into your room."

"He did not have a foot fetish, bitch. I don't sleep with freaks, unlike you."

"Really? Then why did I find him this morning trying to steal my shoes?"

Hyde turned around at this. "He what?" he asked, trying to keep his temper in check.

Tory shrugged. "Yeah. It's not a big deal. I scared him off without even getting off the couch."

"Not a big deal-"

"Oh my god, Hyde, don't get your panties in a twist. She's clearly making it up," Laurie said.

"Laurie, probably not," Donna said. "I mean you do sleep with a lot of freaky guys with a lot of freaky kinks. Just look at K-" She swallowed. She had almost said Kelso before realizing Jackie was in the room. "Uh, Kurt."

Laurie gave her a disgusted look. "Oh, you're such a loser." She sighed and turned to Eric. "Eric, Mom wanted us to get some old things out of storage for some sort of garage sale or whatever."

"Fine," Eric said, getting up. "Let's get this over with."

Tory went and sat next to Kelso on the couch. She threw a disgusted look at him as he gazed at Laurie with a stupid expression on his face. He almost stabbed himself with the Swiss Army Knife he was using to cut up an apple. Hyde grimaced when he saw the blade swing about an inch from Tory's arm. Who in their right mind would ever give Kelso a sharp object?

Suddenly, shrieking from the back room pierced Hyde's ears. Laurie and Eric both jumped out.

"There's a rat!" Eric cried out, stumbling back. "There's a big fucking rat that wants to eat us all."

Tory rolled her eyes. She grabbed Kelso's Swiss army knife and jumped over the back of the couch. Hyde's mouth dropped open as she threw the knife into the storage room. A sickening squeak was heard on the inside. She dusted off her hands and looked at Laurie and Eric. "There isn't a rat anymore."

"Oh my god," Jackie said, jumping up. She ran to the door and left, Donna, Kelso, and Fez right behind her.

Hyde was still staring at her, stunned. "Did you just _kill_ it by throwing a knife?" _Damn, that's disgusting and hot._

"W-why are you so good at that?" Eric whimpered.

"Because she's a psychopath," Laurie said. "It always starts with the killing of small animals. I learned that from my psychology class."

"Laurie, you didn't learn anything from that class," Hyde said. "You flunked that class even _with_ sleeping with your professor."

Laurie shot him a nasty look. "Whatever. She's still a psychopath."

"I'm good at it, Princesss, because a couple years ago, I didn't call rats pests. I called them lunch." Tory smiled sweetly at her. "And I'm not above feeding you rat jerky if you're not careful about it."

Laurie shrieked and ran up the stairs. "Daddy!" she yelled.

Eric laughed and mouthed 'thank you' to Tory before following his sister up the stairs.

"Hey, man, did you really eat rats?" Hyde said. "For how long?" He frowned, unable to imagine that. There had been plenty of times Edna hadn't bought food for a few weeks, or he didn't have access to the food because of one of Edna's boyfriends. But even during those times he hadn't starved that badly. He had always been able to mooch off of friends to keep things from becoming too critical.

Tory shrugged and looked away. "A bit," she mumbled. "Look, stop it, okay? Don't give me that look. It's not like I _enjoyed_ it. I'm not that gross."

"I wasn't thinking that."

"I know, but stop thinking what you're thinking," she snapped. "You don't need to be concerned about me or pity me."

Hyde rolled his eyes. "First of all, the only person I pity around here is Fez. Second of all, don't give me that crap about how I shouldn't be concerned. _I_ tell that crap." He got up, a thought occurring to him. "Why did you really get out of New York, huh?" he said, walking over to her. "What happened, Tory?"

Fear glided over her looks for a second, but her expression was completely unreadable the next. "Doesn't matter," she muttered.

He crossed his arms. "Yes, it does."

"No. It really doesn't. Back off, Hyde. Unless you want to talk about your mom's new boyfriend."

He looked at her, surprised. "How did you know Edna has a new boy toy. Were you at the house again?" He hoped not. This boyfriend- 'Uncle Evan'- was more psychotic than most of them. Even on day one Edna was terrified of him.

Tory sighed. "You're favoring your right leg a little," she said softly. "You've been tapping your foot and clenching and unclenching your fists all day, which means something has been bothering you. And you're wearing a long-sleeved shirt."

Hyde swallowed. He had managed not to think about Evan all day until she brought it up. Evan had given Hyde a pretty bad beating the night before, but he didn't know it was that obvious. "Fine," he said finally. "Point made."

Tory nodded and then hesitated. "You know, I have some basic first aid skills if you want some medical attention in secret."

He hesitated. Evan had burned and cut him on his back, where he couldn't quite reach. It would probably get infected if someone didn't treat it. The only problem was: he didn't let anybody see his back, not if he could help it. He looked at Tory. Yeah, she was totally scary. And completely off-limits. But he knew she wouldn't tell anyone about the marks on his back, not even the Foremans. After all, she wanted to keep secrets, too. "Fine," he said. "But it needs to be completely private. Not here."

She nodded. "I know where."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Thanks, everyone, for the reviews and following this story! I'm really glad you like it!**

Twenty minutes later, they were at the water tower. Tory had the small first aid kit in her purse and no one knew where they were going, so they should be totally alone. As soon as they were up, Tory told him to take off his shirt.

"How do I know this isn't just a ploy to get me in bed?" Hyde smirked. He knew he was only doing this to stall, but he couldn't help it.

Tory rolled her eyes. "Oh please, if I wanted you in bed, then you would have been there a long time ago."

Hyde winced. What was sickening was how that was completely true. She didn't want him. If she did, all she had to do was crook her finger and he would go to her like a damn puppy. "Way to kill a guy's spirit, Tory."

"As if your spirit could ever be killed. Shirt. Off. Now."

Hyde sighed and slowly pulled his shirt off over his head, his hands shaking a little as he did so. Fear sliced through him as he exposed his back to her. It was a gruesome mess for sure. There were old scars from Bud's belt and Edna's cigarettes that had been there since he was a little kid. And now on top of that were burns and razor cuts from Evan. All because he had wanted to get some water in the middle of the night and happened to be up when Evan came home stumbling drunk.

Tory had no reaction, though. She paused a long time, as if she was taking in the sight before she hesitantly put some antiseptic cream on his back. He flinched slightly from the chill of it, but she didn't stop.

"Hey, Tory," he said. "Did that foot fetish freak only try to grab your shoes."

"Yeah," she said. "Why do you care?"

"I don't, man. I just wanted to make sure…. You know…."

"Aw, Hyde has a soul."

He sighed. "Forget it, man."

"No, I think it's cute. You care about me-"

"Shut up!" he shouted. "God, the last thing I need is _you_ of all people teasing me about that. I know you're not interested. You don't have to rub it in."

"I was just joking," she said defensively.

"Well, you're not funny. You know what? Thanks for treating me, but I'll manage on my own." He grabbed his Led Zeppelin t-shirt from the ground and stormed off the water tower.

Hyde stumbled into town, fury and hurt rolling off of him. Damn it, he knew he had screwed up with her and that she didn't want him. Hell, he knew he didn't deserve her. But that didn't mean she had to tease him about his crush on her like everyone else! Where was the fairness in _that_? He used his fake to buy a beer to calm his nerves before he went home. _Well, hey Hyde. At least she didn't mention your back._ He smirked wryly and took a swig of beer. There was that.

He was relaxed from the beer by the time he came back. But he was immediately on edge when he came in. Evan stood above Edna with a baseball bat in his hands. "You were going to rob me, bitch?" he shouted. "You know what I do to people who rob me?"

"Hey!" Hyde shouted. He tackled Evan from behind, putting him into a headlock and dragging him away. "Get off of her!"

Edna whimpered and then ran away, leaving Hyde to face Evan's wrath. Evan tried to go after her, but Hyde got in front of him. "If you want to hit someone, hit me!" he shouted, pushing Evan back. "Leave her out of this."

Evan sneered and swung the bat. It hit Hyde in the ribs and he went down, groaning. He struggled to get back up but Evan kicked him in the ribs and stomach over and over, sending waves of agony through him. He curled up in a ball and waited. All he could do was wait until Evan was exhausted.

Pain made his vision go blurry. Nothing was clear except for the excruciating sensations from blow after blow. He thought he saw the door open and Tory stand in doorway, but he couldn't be sure because he blacked out too soon to tell.


	14. Chapter 14

Hyde was going to be pissed that she showed up at his house again, but she had to talk to him. What the hell did he mean she wasn't interested? _He_ was the one who lost interest after the attack. As soon as she was living with the Formans, he didn't have to protect her anymore so he wasn't interested in her anymore. All she could do was joke about it and then he had to storm off. _Asshole._

Tory opened the front door and froze at the sight she saw, fear running through her. A man was kicking Hyde into unconsciousness. And he was all too familiar to her. "E-Evan?" She stammered.

He turned and grinned when he saw her. "Tory," he said. "I had heard you came out here. It's nice to see you."

She felt like a sledgehammer had hit her in the chest. She stumbled back, panic rising up in her at the sight of him. Oh god. Why couldn't he just stay in New York?

Evan stepped closer to her and the stench of blood and booze filled her nose, causing bile to rise up in her throat. She told herself to move, to run away, to do _something_ but she was frozen. "What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I came to find you." He gestured around the house. "I was using this bitch and her lazy ass son for food and shelter, but I don't need to do that anymore. Not when I found you."

At the mention of Hyde, she looked down at him. There was a gash on his head and blood seeping out of his shirt. Anger rose up in her at the sight of him. She started shaking, but not from fear this time. Nobody touched Steven. Not if she had anything to say about it. She stepped forward slowly, meeting Evan in the middle of the room. He didn't see her grab a piece of broken glass off the TV stand as she walked. "You should have stayed in New York," she said, and then she striked.

Everything was a blur to Hyde. Nothing seemed to focus at all and he felt like he was floating. He thought he heard shouts coming from a distance. But they didn't make sense.

"Fuck you, Edna!" Tory shouted. "What kind of a mother runs when her son was being attacked like that? How dare you say he ruined your life when you've made his life a living hell? The only reason you're not in the hospital with Evan is because for some unknown reason Steven still loves you!"

Hyde didn't hear Edna's reply, instead sinking back into darkness.

The next thing he remembered was a lot of crying. He heard the sobs coming from right next to him. He knew it couldn't be Edna. These were quiet sobs, not loud, dramatic groans. _Tory. Don't cry, man. It'll be all right._ He tried to find her so he could comfort her, but he couldn't move his hands and it looked like he was in a fog. The darkness chased him now, threatening to overwhelm him but he fought it. _No. Not yet. Tory needs me._ But it took him anyway.

"Steven," Tory's voice washed over him. Her fingers ran through his hair in a very pleasant manner. "Steven, wake up. It's okay."

He opened his eyes and saw everything focus for the first time. Tory was looking down at him, smiling slightly. But it was strained and trembling slightly. Dark circles rimmed her eyes and she looked like she was on the verge of bursting into tears. He tried to grab her hand but everything hurt so badly that he couldn't move. "Tory," he whispered. "What happened? Are you okay?"

She sobbed. "Of course that's what you're going to ask me," she said. "Of course you're worried about me when you were unconscious two minutes ago."

"Well, _are_ you okay?" he tried to sit up but pain hit him like a brick wall. He groaned and collapsed back on his cot.

"I'll be okay," she said. "You, on the other hand, have five cracked ribs, multiple gashes, and severe bruising and your bitch of a mother says we can't take you to a hospital."

"No hospitals," Hyde said. "They'll call Social Services. I'm not going to end up in the hands of the government." He groaned as he shifted slightly. His ribs felt bound up in cloth or bandages. "Where's Evan, man? You need to get out of here before he finds you. That dude's a psycho."

She looked down at her hands. "Yeah, uh, I know." Tory looked back up at him with a strained smile. "You don't have to worry about him… let's not talk about him." Tory swallowed and used shaking hands to adjust a bandage on your forehead. "I treated you the best I could. You're lucky it's not the first time I've bandaged ribs. But I'd really like it if you asked Mrs. Forman for help."

"Tory, you're shaking."

"I'm fine." A tear slipped down her face. "I'm-" she sobbed.

Hyde grabbed her hand, which was the most movement he could manage at the moment. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. "Listen, I'll be fine. I've had worse. You saved me. Thank you, Tory." _I love you._ His breath caught in his throat as he realized he truly did love her. She was everything to him and that wasn't going to change, no matter how hard he tried to get over her.

Hyde didn't get out of bed for anything more than to go to the bathroom for days. Instead he rested while his body mended, reading magazines and- God help him- doing homework. It was incredibly boring.

Tory visited him everyday, but only for a short amount of time because she had school and didn't want the others to get suspicious. Hyde had begged her not to say anything to anyone. She agreed rather quickly. Not only did Tory want to keep it a secret, but something had changed in her. All of the fight had gone out of her, and she just looked exhausted. She refused to talk to Hyde about it, saying he needed to get better.


	15. Chapter 15

Eventually, Hyde got better. By some miracle nothing had been punctured and there wasn't any internal bleeding, so he would survive. One day, after he could sit up, he waited for Tory to come on her daily visit. He was nervous. He needed to ask her what had happened that night. He needed to know everything.

Tory came in and smiled when she saw him. "Hey," she said, dropping her bag. "I have a surprise for you." She pulled two beers out of her bag.

Hyde grinned. "Wow. What have I done to earn two beers?"

"Nothing," she said. "One beer, on the other hand... " She handed him one beer and sat down next to him, opening the second beer for herself.

Hyde raised an eyebrow. "I didn't think you drank," he said. She had always refused any beers offered to her. She didn't care about the others drinking, or even smoking pot around her, but she had never participated before.

"I do drink," she said. "I've drank since I was twelve. But only in front of people I know I can trust completely… which is a pretty short list."

Hyde felt a lump in his throat. She trusted him enough to completely let her guard down. She wasn't at all scared of wary of him. That had to be the best surprise anyone had ever given to him.

They drank beer in silence for awhile before Hyde got up the nerve to ask her. "Tory, what happened that night?"

She frowned. "I told you-"

"I _am_ better," he said. "I need to know. Tory, I haven't talked to Edna since then and I haven't seen Evan. It's driving me crazy. Please."

She sighed and set down her beer, crossing her arms over herself protectively. Fear, sadness, and exhaustion seemed to overtake her. Without thinking, Hyde put his arm around her, drawing her closer to him. She leaned into him.

"I knew Evan before. From New York City. I had no idea he would follow me here."

Hyde felt his blood run cold. "Is he why you ran here?"

She nodded. "He's…" she took in a shaky breath and then let it out. "He was my boyfriend."

Hyde listened to everything she told him. Tory had grown up in an abusive home, a lot like his. She had run away when she was ten, playing music on the streets for money. She learned to fight and run and hide, and even thrived on the streets. But it had been lonely and terrifying for her all the same, and she had wanted security.

When she was fifteen, Evan found her. He had been charming at first and had slowly worked his way through her barriers. She agreed to go out with him, and then moved into his apartment after that. He paid for everything and took care of her. Controlled her.

"I belonged to him," she said. "If he wanted something, I needed to do it for him… even…" she sighed. "Well, everything."

Hyde felt the anger rise up in him for what happened to her. He wished he could track Evan down himself and kill him for hurting her like that.

"I was terrified," she said. "He kept me locked in the apartment all day when he was gone and never let me be in a different room than him. Sometimes he brought home guys and charged them money to touch me. If I resisted, then he would beat me up and lock me in a closet for hours until he wanted to use me again." She was trembling now. Hyde held her even closer, wishing he could take all of the hurt and pain away from her. "Eventually I escaped. I hitchhiked up here, sure he wouldn't ever find me in the middle of nowhere like this." She started sobbing. "But somehow he did, and he started using Edna, and you ended up hurt from it, and Steven, I'm so sorry-"

"Hey," he said. "Listen to me, Tory. None of this is your fault. None of it. It's his fault, and only his fault." Hyde brushed her tears away as she took deep breaths to try to calm down. "It's okay. He'll never hurt you again. Not if I have anything to say about it." He'd rather die himself than let that bastard lay a hand on her again.

"He won't be back," she said quietly. "That night, when I found him attacking you like that, I kind of snapped. I was just so angry and scared…" she shuddered. "He's not dead," she said quickly. "He's in intensive care, still, but they're sure he'll make a recovery. But they found a lot of drugs in his system and apparently there's multiple warrants out for his arrest. Once he leaves the hospital, he'll be locked up for a very long time."

Hyde nodded, relieved at that news. She was safe. Finally. "Thank you for telling me," he said.

She shrugged. "You were right, you needed to know."

He sighed and held her close for a long time as both of them got their emotions under control. Tory cuddled up next to him and drifted off to sleep, exhausted from telling him what she had never told anyone before. Hyde stroked her hair gently, grateful for the comfort it brought. "I'll protect you, Tory," he whispered to her sleeping form. "No one will ever hurt you again. I promise."


	16. Chapter 16

The official story for Hyde being AWOL for so long was he got a bad flu and didn't want any of his friends to catch it. But Eric knew the truth as soon as Hyde walked into the basement a few days after he and Tory talked.

"Hyde," Eric said. "Good to see you again, buddy." He looked at Kelso and Fez, who were zoned out in front of the TV. "I'm going to go get sodas. You want to help me?"  
"No," Hyde said pointedly as he sat down in his chair. He wasn't about to become part of a damn after school special.

"Fez, Kelso," Eric said loudly. "Go get sodas. There will be nudie mags and a bag of candy in it for you if you do."

Hyde cursed as Kelso and Fez ran upstairs. As soon as they were out of earshot, Eric turned to Hyde. "What happened, man? Are you safe? Who did that to you?"

"Stop with all of the questions, Erica," he said. "I'm fine. My mom's boyfriend felt like playing rough is all. But he's gone now so quit worrying."  
"Quit getting beaten up, then!" He said, throwing his hands in the air. "Why didn't you tell me? I mean my mom's a nurse! She could have helped you."

"All she would have done is worry, like you're worrying right now," Hyde said. "Relax, Forman. I'm not in danger right now and I'm healing up fine. Now could you quit worrying about me?"

Eric sighed and sat down on the couch, giving up. "Next time you get hurt like that, tell someone, man."

"I did tell someone. I told Tory," Hyde said.

Eric stared at him. "You told Tory but you wouldn't tell me? Thanks a lot. I thought we were best friends!"

"Would you stop getting your panties in a twist?" Hyde snapped. "It's not like I told her by choice. She figured it out. And I swear to god, if you give her hell for this, I will kick your ass."

Eric got off the couch, throwing his hands in the air. "Oh, so now you're willing to kick my ass over Tory? Great, I'm so reassured that we're still best friends."  
"She's not replacing you as my best friend!" Hyde shook his head. Forman could be such a moron. "Don't be ridiculous."

Eric pointed at Hyde. "I'm not being ridiculous, you're being ridiculous," he said. "You know what? Fine. When you need help, go to Tory now." He stormed out of the basement before Hyde could make a reply.

Kelso and Fez came down, carrying four sodas. "Where's Eric?" Fez asked. "He's supposed to pay me in candy."

"He went out that way," Hyde said, pointing to the door and taking a soda. "Talk to him for the nudie mags and the candy."

Both of them ran out, brushing past Tory who was on her way in. She dropped her school bag to the floor with a sigh. "Hey," she said, taking off her jacket to reveal her Fatso Burger uniform. So far, neither Red nor Kitty had been able to justify making her quit her job. Tory managed to keep straight A's and do all of her chores while handling her hours. Neither of them knew she cashed in her paycheck in quarters and poured the quarters into the couch cushions in the living room. Tory sat on the couch seat closest to Hyde's chair. "It's good to see you finally able to leave your house."

"It's not nearly as good as it is for me being able to leave it," he said. "By the way, Eric might give you hell later about you knowing about me before he did."  
Tory looked at him, a little wary. "Eric knows?"  
"He knows the edited for the masses version," Hyde said. "Don't worry. He doesn't know the part featuring you and Evan. All he knows is that my mom's boyfriend beat me badly but is gone. Oh, and that you figured it out. That's it."

Tory breathed a sigh of relief. "Good," she said.

Hyde looked at Tory. At the moment she looked perfectly at peace with the world. She was even smiling to herself as she watched _Gilligan's Island_. _Damn, she's beautiful._ And she certainly didn't need any crap from Forman. She should be waited on hand and foot every day after what she had been through. "Listen," he said. "If Forman gives you any crap at all, let me know, okay?"

Tory smiled at him. "Relax, Hyde," she said. "It's sweet that you want to protect me, but I'm pretty sure I can handle Forman."

"First of all, I'm not sweet. I'm evil and uncaring. Second of all, of course you can handle Forman. Everyone can handle Forman. It's the principle of the matter."

"Aw, you are sweet and you do care." Tory leaned forward and kissed Hyde's cheek. His heart skipped a beat as her soft lips brushed against his skin. It took everything he had to keep from turning his head to catch her lips with his.

Tory's eyes widened as she looked at him, without a doubt seeing the lust on his face that not even his sunglasses could hide. Hyde quickly looked away, clearing his throat. If he didn't get a hold of his urges then he would have to stop hanging out with Tory.

To his surprise, Tory didn't make an excuse and leave, or go back to watching TV. She grabbed a hold of his hand, lacing her fingers through his. Even that simple and innocent touch could send heat to his groin. He was acting like a damn virgin. "I never did get around to telling you why I came over to your house that night," she whispered.

"Oh yeah," he said. "Why did you come around?"

"To tell you you're a moron."

Okay, he hadn't been expecting that. "What?" he said. "I'm not a moron, you're a moron."

She rolled his eyes. "Steven, remember what you said at the water tower?"

He remembered the scene. He wished he didn't, though. "Just forget it, okay? I didn't mean what I said. I was just freaking out because of showing you my back and stuff."

"You did too mean what you said!" she said, swatting his arm. "My god, Steven, did you really think I'm the indifferent one? You're the indifferent one."

"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"I'm still attracted to you, dink! I never stopped being attracted to you! You're the one who backed off!"

"You fucking flinched when I touched you, Tory!" he shouted. "You were terrified of me! Of course I backed off!"

"Damn it, Hyde! It was a knee-jerk reaction. I was never scared of you. I know you wouldn't hurt me."

He stared at her, stunned. "How could you know that?" he asked. "How could you possibly know that I would never hurt you after everything you've been through?"

Tory smiled at him. "Because that first night we met, you didn't even look at me until I twisted Kelso's arm behind his back. You liked that I could defend myself, and not even in a weird pervy kind of way. You just thought it was cool. If you really wanted to control or abuse someone, you would have been interested in a much easier target." She stroked his hand absentmindedly as she talked. "My hunch proved correct after hanging out with you for awhile. You only ever frog the guys and you're like a big brother to Donna. Hell, you're even a little protective of Jackie as much as she annoys you. Even I can tell you're pissed at Kelso for cheating on her."

"Well, yeah," he said. He smiled at her. "I can't believe you noticed all of this, man."

"I'm attracted to you. Of course I studied you to make sure you wouldn't hurt me." She leaned in a little bit and Hyde's gaze immediately went to her lips.

"Tory, I've got a favor to ask you," he said hoarsely.

"One step ahead of you." Her lips crashed down on his. Hyde groaned at the contact. Thrills raced down his spine from her touch. He explored her mouth with his tongue as he pulled Tory off the couch and onto him. She perched lightly on his legs, careful of his injuries as her hands explored his chest and slowly made their way up to his face. She caught his lower lip between her teeth and bit gently, making Hyde jolt in surprise and making his cock grow hard immediately. Hyde groaned and tangled his fingers in her hair.

The basement door opened. "Hyde-" Eric stopped when he saw Tory and Hyde making out. "What?" he asked, his voice raising an octave. "When did this happen? Just… what?"

Hyde broke off the kiss to glare at his friend. "I told you she wasn't replacing you as my best friend."

Tory giggled and leaned into his chest. Hyde's arm automatically went up to her shoulders. "Hi, Eric," she said.

Eric grinned and laughed awkwardly. "Well, okay, then," he said. "Catch you two love birds later." He left going out the door again.

Tory smiled and turned back to Hyde. "Looks like Eric isn't mad anymore."

"Yeah," he said, tilting her chin up so her lips were less than an inch from his. "Right now, I couldn't care less if he's mad or not." He pulled her in for another kiss.


	17. Chapter 17

"Can we do something for once but cruise?" Hyde said. "We've been driving around for hours."

"I don't mind," Tory said, nuzzling his neck. "It's peaceful." Hyde pinched her butt in answer.

"Let's skinny dip!" Kelso shouted.

Tory and Hyde tensed up at the same time. "I vote no," Tory said. She squeezed Hyde's hand in reassurance. He squeezed it back.

"Why not?" Kelso asked, disappointed.

"Well of course you guys want to," Donna said. "Because you guys get to see us and that's a treat. But we'd have to see you and that's gross."

"I am in," Fez said grinning. "It would be fun."

"Look, if the ladies don't want to do it, then we don't do it," Hyde said. "There's no way I'm getting naked just in front of guys." He didn't want to get naked in front of anyone at all except Tory for that matter.

"Well, it's dark, so we probably wouldn't see much," Eric said. "I think we should do it."  
Donna rolled her eyes. "Well, I'll do it, I guess."  
"You will?" Eric asked, looking at her in shock.

"If she's in then I'm in," said Jackie.

"All right!" Kelso shouted. "Skinny dipping."

"Tory?" Hyde asked. He looked at her curiously, wanting to know if it was all right with her. They hadn't done anything more than kiss and he didn't want to pressure her into anything.

Tory looked out the window. "Well, it is pretty dark," she said. She shrugged. "Okay."

"All right!" Kelso shouted.

The others ran to the water first. Hyde and Tory walked behind them slowly. "Are you sure?" Hyde said. "You still don't have to if you don't want to."

She stopped walking, wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed him. Hyde sighed into the kiss, his hands framing her face. "I don't mind if you don't," she said. "But I'll understand if you don't want to. And I'm fine taking the rap for it so you save face."

He smiled down at her. Damn, she was so sexy and beautiful. And so caring. "Let's wait for them all to get out into the water and then we'll go in."

The two of them waited until the others were undressed and in the water, horsing around. Kelso was trying to feel up Jackie who was shrieking indignantly and Donna and Eric were in some sort of splash fight. Fez was watching Jackie and Kelso. His hands were under the water, and Hyde definitely didn't want to know what he was doing with them.

Tory led Hyde to the water. She kissed him gently as her hands slowly took off his shirt. Hyde let her, and enjoyed feeling her hands on his bare skin, tracing the scars on his back and the contours of his chest. He moved to take off her shirt but she stopped him. "Not yet," she whispered. "Let me have my fun."

Hyde groaned as her hands moved to his hips and she ran her fingers to the waistband of his pants before unbuttoning them. "You're killing me."

She giggled and pulled down his pants and underwear. "I know. Isn't it fun?"

Hyde smiled down at her as she reached behind him and squeezed his ass. "I'm not complaining."

He let her explore his body for a few seconds before moving grabbing her and taking off her jacket. "My turn," he whispered. Hyde took off her shirt carefully, revealing her black, lacy bra underneath and taking in the sight. He gasped as he looked at her. There were scars on his back, but it was nothing compared to the scars under her shirt. Thin white lines from old knife wounds and belt lashes criss-crossed with jagged burns made from lighters, cigars, and cigarettes.

Tory hugged herself, suddenly self-conscious. "Yeah, I know," she said shyly. "I look better with my shirt on."

Hyde moved her hands out of the way. "You're so fucking beautiful," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. "A few scars aren't going to change that." He unsnapped her bra and tossed it on the ground on top of her top before going for her pants. A second later, she was completely undressed in front of him. Hyde looked at her, wishing he could do something to hide the raging hard-on Tory was giving him. "Let's get in the water before somebody else sees us."

She giggled and led him into the water up to their waist before turning around and kissing him again. He wrapped his hands around her body, careful to only touch her waist. Just because they were naked didn't mean it was a free-for-all.

Tory smiled and grabbed his hands, moving them up to her breasts. "It's okay, Steven," she whispered.

"Are you sure?" He asked. "I don't mind waiting."

"I don't want to wait. Not anymore."

She moaned slightly as he stroked her breasts. Hyde smiled as he massaged them, enjoying the sounds she was making. Tory slipped her hands under the water and grabbed his cock. Hyde froze and his mind went completely blank.

Tory smiled and gently stroked him. "Is this okay?"

"You know it's okay," he growled. "You're driving me crazy."

"Good." She squeezed him and he groaned, practically paralyzed with pleasure, before grabbing her and pulling her closer. He held her in place with one arm around her waist before running his other hand over her ass before reaching between her legs.

Tory's breath caught as he stroked her folds gently. She hissed as he lightly pinched her clit. "Fuck, Steven," she whispered.

He laughed lightly. "No," he said. "I can't do that until later when I can use protection."

Her eyes narrowed and she smirked at his joke. "Tease."

"No." He said, slipping a finger into her. "I'm not a tease if I make you come."

She moaned and then buried her face into his neck. Tory softly kissed his collarbone, sending little shocks of pleasure through him.

Hyde alternated between playing with her clit and finger-fucking her with her naked body pressed flush against his. It took all of his control to not spread her legs and enter her for real, but he held back, instead settling for driving Tory wild with his fingers. "Tory," he whispered. "Tell me what you were thinking that night at the water tower."

She sighed. "Oh, that seems so long ago," she said.

"Do you remember what you were thinking about?" He pinched her clit lightly, enjoying the hitch in her breath it made.

"Yeah," she breathed. "I remember thinking about you being rough with me. Seeing you angry had turned me on."

"Really?" Hyde couldn't cover his surprise. "After everything you've been through?"  
"Mm-hmm." She sent a trail of kisses up his jaw. "Even then I knew I could trust you. I knew you would rather die than hurt me. With that fear gone, seeing you angry is a turn-on. I like the idea of you being a little rough."

He groaned. Tory was just full of surprises. "Good to know," he growled as one of his hands went to grab her breasts. She moaned into his neck as he grinded against her, one of his arms locking her place against him, unable to escape. He finger-fucked her again as he kissed her roughly, biting at her lower lip.

Tory sighed and started to shake. He held tighter to support her as her knees gave out, thrusting into her again with his fingers. Tory stiffened and gasped as she climaxed. Hyde felt it on his hand right before the water washed it away. He grinned as she collapsed against him. "I told you I'm not a tease," he whispered.

She nodded, her face still buried in his neck. Her arms wrapped around his waist before lifting up her head. She kissed him gently on the lips and then his cheeks, his jaw, his neck. A lump formed in his throat from her gentle touches. It was the first time she had ever lost control like that and given herself up to him so completely. Usually she was the one in control while he couldn't stop touching or kissing her, but not this time. His chest tightened as he looked down at the beautiful girl in his arms. He loved her.

Panic hit him at that revelation. He loved her. The idea of losing her was enough to tear him apart. _Oh shit. I'm so screwed._

Hyde kissed Tory's forehead. She sighed happily and kissed his lips one last time before breaking away. "Your turn," she whispered as one of her hands reached lower.

A shout from Kelso distracted them however. "Somebody stole all out clothes!"

"Shit." Tory grabbed his hand and they sprinted in the direction of the shore. Hyde was disappointed but a little relieved that they got interrupted. After his revelation about Tory, he wasn't sure he wanted to be so vulnerable in front of her so soon.

Everyone ran to the car before anyone could see them naked. Donna and Jackie got in the front and Fez and Kelso got in the back. Hyde grabbed Tory's hand and pulled her around to the way back. He was not going to let her sit naked next to Fez and Kelso, two of the most perverted guys in Point Place. He got in after her and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her to block anyone's wandering eyes. She snuggled against him, grateful for the warmth.

"Well, that was a great idea, Michael," Jackie said sarcastically. "Until our clothes got stolen!"

"Look, guys, we need a plan," Eric said. "I can't take you guys back to my place. Red barely likes you when you're dressed."

Hyde swallowed nervously. His mom had been gone for a few days and probably wasn't going to return, so his place was risk-free. But that meant letting his friends know that he had been left alone. He looked down at Tory. Then again, the last thing he wanted was Tory to sneak into the basement naked just as one of Laurie's boy toys was sneaking out. Those assholes would just think she was an easy lay.

"We can go to my house," he said casually.

Tory looked up at him, surprised. He avoided her gaze, instead looking toward the front of the car. Kelso grinned a moronic grin. "Yeah, I bet your mom is used to having naked guys around."  
Hyde reached over and frogged him hard on the arm. "She's not even there, you moron!" he shouted.

Fez got off his seat to point to the radio, luckily distracting everyone, even Tory, from Hyde's home life by showing full view of his junk. "Put on the top 40," he said.

"Whoa," Tory shouted, covering her face. "Sit down, Fez."

"Yeah," Hyde said. "I see London, I see Besticles."

Fez rolled his eyes. "Well what do you want me to do about it?"  
"Tuck it in!" Tory and Hyde shouted at the same time.


	18. Chapter 18

Once they pulled up, Hyde ushered everyone in before him so they wouldn't see the scars on his back. "It's unlocked," he said. "Go in and grab some clothes. Ladies, feel free to raid my mom's closet. She'll never miss them." _Because she never knows what clothes she leaves in random guy's apartments when she leaves hungover._

Tory lingered back with him. "Where's Edna?" she asked quietly.

"She's gone," Hyde said. "Ran off with some trucker. But she'll be back," he said quickly. "She wouldn't leave me." Edna might hate him, but she wouldn't just leave him like this. That would make her just like Bud, after all.

Tory looked at him, the concern plain on her face. "Are you sure?" she whispered.

He nodded. "She wouldn't leave me," he repeated. "Come on, let's get inside before you catch something."  
Instead of going to Edna's room, Tory went to Hyde's room. Fez, Kelso, and Eric shouted when she came in, diving behind Hyde's bed. "Damnit, Tory!" Eric shouted. "You can't just barge in here like this!"

She rolled her eyes. "You don't have anything I haven't seen before." She went to Hyde's closet and started rummaging around.

Hyde looked sharply at the other guys, daring them to make any comment about Tory being naked or her scars. Fez's eyes were bugging out of his head. "Fez!" he shouted. "Focus on getting dressed if you don't want to end up walking home naked."

"Ai," he whined, but did as he was told and grabbed a dirty pair of Hyde's pants off the floor and put them on, along with the other two.

Tory put on an oversized Led Zeppelin tee shirt and a pair of drawstring sweatpants. Hyde smiled when he saw her. She looked incredibly sexy in his clothes. And he was more than grateful she was wearing his clothes instead of his mom's slutty and tacky ones.

Tory smiled back at him as if she read his mind and kissed him. "Beer's still in the kitchen, right?"

"Mm-hm."

"Excellent." She walked out, leaving the others to dress.

"Were those scars on her back?" Kelso asked stupidly. "Damn, Hyde! I feel sorry for you, man. Chicks are supposed to be hotter with their clothes _off_ , not with them _on._ "

Fez and Eric froze, looking at Hyde, who was balling his fists up in rage. "What?" he said quietly.

"Fez," Eric shout-whispered. "Run!"


	19. Chapter 19

Tory found a six-pack of beer in the fridge, and very little else, which concerned her. What Hyde been eating for the past couple of days if his kitchen was this cleaned out? She was going to kill him for not telling her about this sooner.

Fez and Eric were in the living room and terrified when she came in. "Where's Steven and Kelso?" she asked as she tossed them each a beer.

A loud wail came from Hyde's room a second later. "Ow! Not my eye, not my eye- oooowwwwwww!"

"There they are," Eric said weakly.

Tory frowned. "What the hell happened?"

"Nothing," they said at the same time.

 _Men._ Why couldn't they ever give her a straight answer? "Steven!" she shouted. "That's enough!"

Hyde came out a second later, dragging Kelso by his shirt collar. He tossed Kelso on the ground and went to sit by Tory, trembling with rage. Tory grabbed his hand and gently stroked his knuckles with her thumb before kissing his cheek and handing him a beer. "It's okay," she whispered. "Calm down."

"I'm trying." His arm went around her shoulders more possessively than usual.

Kelso sat on the couch, sulking. Blood was trickling down the side of his face. It looked like Hyde had cut the corner of his eye pretty badly.

Donna and Jackie came out a second later, Donna wearing a low cut shirt and jeans and Jackie wrapped in a towel. She gasped when she saw Kelso and ran over to him, almost dropping the towel. "Oh no, you poor baby!" she said, touching his eye. "What did he do to you?" She glared at Hyde. "Just because you're scruffy and poor doesn't mean you can take out your anger on poor Michael. You're such an asshole."

"Watch it, Jackie," Tory snapped. "Steven might never kick your ass, but I certainly will."  
"Jackie," Kelso said quietly. "It's okay. I did deserve it." He looked at Tory, ashamed before looking at Jackie. "I said something stupid about Tory. As he was beating me up, I realized that if someone had said something like that about you, I would have beaten them up too. So don't blame Hyde."

Tory looked at Hyde, who had a better grip on his anger even though the anger was still there. He had beaten up his best friend because of her? _Why would he do that?_ He had a protective side, but it's not like Kelso was any threat to her. What was he doing? She shook her head. Her boyfriend made no sense sometimes.

Jackie grinned at Kelso. "Aw, Michael, you would beat somebody up to defend my honor? You're so sweet!" She flung her arms around him, dropping the towel all together. Everyone but Fez shielded their eyes. Fez grinned, enjoying the show.

"Whoa, Jackie," Eric said. "Put it away."

"Seriously, Jackie, you couldn't find anything to wear?" Hyde asked, his voice strained.

"Yeah, no offense, Hyde, but all of your mother's clothes are whore-y."

"What?" Donna asked. She crossed her arms over the low-cut shirt.

"Oh, but they look great on you!"

"Raid Hyde's closet," Tory said.

Jackie looked Tory up and down with more than a little disdain. "Uh, no offense, but I'd rather be naked than look like a scruffy poor person."

"Yes, please be naked," Fez said. "And maybe do a little dance."

Jackie scowled at him.

"I like you naked, too," Kelso said with a stupid grin on his face.

"Shut up!" Hyde shouted. "Nobody else does!"

Tory grinned when she saw Hyde's face turn slightly red. She had a feeling he was enjoying the view way more than he wanted to. It was cute. "Jackie, I'll help you out. I'm an expert at making clothes look not stolen. I can make you leave this house looking hot."

"Well, that won't be hard to do when I'm already hot," she said, smiling. "But it might be nice to get covered. I think I caught something while swimming."

"Like an eel?" Kelso asked.

Jackie glared at him. "No, like a cold, you moron!"

"I don't want Jackie wearing my clothes," Hyde said. "She'll put stupid perfume on them or something."

"As if I would waste good perfume on your rags, you hobo!"

Tory looked at Hyde, jutting out her bottom lip. "Please," she said. "It's so rare I get to do normal girly things like makeovers."

Hyde looked at her. Even with his sunglasses on, Tory could read his expressions and saw the inner turmoil inside of him. Fear flashed across his face for a second, which surprised her. "Fine," he said, his teeth gritted.

Tory smiled and kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said. She would have plenty of time to grill him later when his friends weren't around.

She got up and grabbed Jackie's hand. "Come on," she said. "This will be fun."


	20. Chapter 20

Twenty minutes later, Jackie was dressed in a long white t-shirt from Hyde and cinched with one of his belts, making it look like a dress. With the black leggings and heels from Edna's closet, she looked fantastic. Too fantastic. It was distracting to look at her, even for Hyde, who had seen his fair share of naked and slutty girls.

By the time she was ready, the beer was gone and everyone was ready to just go home, much to Hyde's relief. Not only did it get Jackie out of his hair, but he could stop with the charade of everything being fine.

Unfortunately, Tory wasn't easily swayed.

"I'll catch up with you guys later," Tory called out to them. "I want to spend some more time with Hyde."

"Aw yeah, they're gonna do it!" Kelso shouted out.

Hyde groaned. Why did his friend have to be such an idiot? "Why not shout it again?" he asked. "I don't think the whole neighborhood heard you the first time."

"Aw yeah-"

"Michael!" A tiny arm reached out of the car and pulled Kelso down. Tory laughed and pulled Hyde inside before closing the door.

Hyde tensed at her touch. He couldn't be with Tory right now. There was too much he needed to keep secret from her. Like how he was in love with her and would do anything to make her happy, even let Jackie contaminate his clothes. "You're going to miss your ride," he said.

"I'll walk home," she replied. "I want to spend time with you." She smiled as she kissed him briefly, but he could see the concern in her eyes. She wasn't just here for a makeout session.

That didn't mean he couldn't try to distract her. He pulled her up against him for a long and deep kiss. "I believe you said it was my turn," he said, grinning.

"Mm," Tory said. "You'll get it. I'm not a tease either." She grinned for a second before her face turned serious. "How long has Edna been gone?" She asked.

"Doesn't matter right now," he said, kissing her again as he steered her to his bedroom. "Let's focus on one thing at a time." He gently bit her neck, making her gasp.

She pushed away from him. "No," she said. "You've had your turn to play with my body. Now it's my turn to play with yours."

He groaned as his cock became even harder. He was going to go crazy if she didn't start 'playing' with him soon. "That's cool," he said through gritted teeth.

Tory grinned. "As if I could trust you to keep your hands to yourself," she said, pushing him onto the bed before stripping his shirt and sunglasses. She ran her hands over his chest, sending shivers through Hyde. He immediately grabbed her by the hips and pulled her closer to kiss her.

Tory smiled and wriggled out of his grip. "I knew I couldn't." She got off the bed.

"You're just so incredibly sexy," Hyde said. "Why can't I play with your body while you play with mine?" He grinned. "After all, I get off on watching you get off."  
"No," she said. "No distracting me." She went to his closet and opened the door before grinning and pulling out a long, narrow cotton scarf. "I thought I forgot this here. Turn around and put your hands behind your back."

Fear shot through him as he obeyed. "Yes, dear," he said. He tried to sound casual, but his voice was more than a little shaky.

She knelt on the bed behind him and kissed his bare shoulder blades so gently his chest tightened. "It's okay, Steven," she said. "I'll never hurt you. We can stop at any time."

"I know," he said hoarsely. "Keep going." He did know that she wouldn't hurt him. That wasn't what scared him. What scared him was how willing he was to be physically helpless just to please her. He was never helpless. He had spent his entire life learning how to defend himself and be on his guard, keeping any weaknesses and vulnerabilities hidden and locked away.

And he was so ready to take down his defenses and throw himself at Tory's mercy. Just to please her.

Tory tied his hands behind his back tight enough to be secure, but without being uncomfortable. Her hands slid from his to his waist as she left a trail of kisses up his shoulders and onto his neck. Hyde sighed, his fear and worry chased out by pleasure. "So, Steven," she whispered as she nipped at her earlobe. "Did you like how I dressed Jackie?" He tensed, making her giggle. "Relax," she said. "This isn't a trap."  
"Uh-huh," he said skeptically. "I'm not answering."

"Well I know you were turned on by her being naked. I want to know if you were turned on by the finished product."

"Tory, you don't want me to answer that."

"That's a yes, then." She kissed a particularly sensitive spot just behind his ear, her tongue darting out for a second. It sent electricity all through Hyde, making him want to flinch away and beg for more at the same time.

"Fine," he said. "Yeah, it was hot. But you're the only one right now I want to be fucking."  
"Good," she said. She stroked him through his jeans, making him hiss. "But in the future I certainly wouldn't mind a threesome with Jackie."

Hyde's eyes widened in shock and arousal as images of Tory and Jackie in bed together danced through his mind. Tory knew exactly how to play him. "If you don't get these pants off of me, I'm ripping off this scarf and taking them off myself."  
"Getting a little antsy, are you?" Tory asked as she unbuttoned his pants. Hyde felt a little bit of relief as the pressure from the denim stopped digging into his erection, but it wasn't nearly enough relief for him. She pulled the pants and underwear down to his knees but no farther. Even his legs were restrained for her.

"I don't know how much longer I can keep control."

Tory moved around so she was in front of him. She kissed him on the lips, her tongue entering his mouth and exploring it thoroughly. Hyde had never felt so exposed to someone before. He was enjoying the kiss so much it didn't even register where her hands were. She pulled back from the kiss, leaving Hyde desperate for more. "Then lose control," she whispered. And her hands squeezed his bare cock.

Hyde let out a shout as she massaged his cock. "Fuck, Tory!" he groaned. He buried his face into her shoulder, kissing her shoulder blade reverently as she stroked him hard and fast. All thoughts flew out of his head. It was all he could do to hang on for dear life as she brought him closer and closer to coming.

Just as he was about to go over the edge, Tory stopped and moved away. "No," Hyde said. He moved closer, desperate for her touch, but she sat on the other side of the bed. With his hands tied behind his back and his pants and underwear around his knees, Hyde was too restrained to go to her. "Tory," he hissed.

She looked at him, her gaze full of lust and determination. With her curly hair loose and messy and her face flushed she looked like a wild goddess. A wild goddess that would be the death of him. "How long has Edna been gone, Steven?"

Hyde groaned and bowed his head. "You stopped to ask me _that_?"

"Looks like it." She absentmindedly moved her hands up to her breasts, twisting her nipples through his Led Zeppelin t-shirt. Hyde's mind clouded over in arousal and frustration as he watched her. "And I won't finish you off until you answer my questions."

"You could get a job at a CIA torture facility, you know that?"

A wicked grin spread across her face. "I know. They offered me one, but I turned it down. Tell me, Steven." She twisted one breast especially hard and let out a tiny, high-pitched gasp that made Hyde's cock twitch. There was no chance of his erection going down, not with her making sounds like that. _Evil witch._

"A few days," he said with gritted teeth. "But she's coming back. Once she's had her fun and burnt off some steam, she'll be back."

"When did you run out of food? Is your rent and utilities paid up?" She spread her legs and slid one hand down to stroke herself through her sweatpants. She bit her lip and her face flushed. It wasn't all an act. She was getting off on the power she held over him. And some sick and twisted part of Hyde found that even sexier.

He looked down at his worn and stained blanket. This line of questioning was difficult. It had been exactly what he wanted to avoid. His plan of distracting her with sex backfired big time.

"I ran out of food yesterday, all right? It's not a big deal, and don't you dare go blabbing about this to anyone. I know Edna. She'll be back before any big problems come up. And yeah, rent and utilities are fine for the next month." That was a bit of a half-truth. The utilities were paid up. But unless Edna came home tomorrow, he would probably have to pawn the TV or something to pay the rent.

Tory had stopped touching herself and now looked at Hyde, concern etched on her features. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. "I could have helped out."

"I didn't want you to worry," he said. "And it's not a big deal."

"It is and you know it." She frowned and moved forward so she could kiss him. Her hands cupped his face tenderly. Hyde closed his eyes and melted into the kiss. "Next time something like this happens, tell me. Your problems are my problems. And I want to help you through them." She kissed him again. Hyde wished more than ever that his hands were free so he could gather Tory up in his arms and keep her there forever.

Tory broke away so their lips were less than an inch apart. She looked up at him, her eyes full of worry and fear, but also tenderness and sincerity. "I love you, Steven," she whispered. "If you can bring yourself to trust someone, then please trust me. Because I would do anything for you."

Shock ran through him by this confession. But Tory didn't give him time to respond, instead pressing another searing kiss to his lips as her hand closed around his cock, which quickly grew back to full life.

Hyde groaned. "I answered your questions to your satisfaction, then."

"Yes," she said. "And I'm not a tease." She pumped him hard and almost all thought fled him again. Almost.

 _She loves me._

Tory leaned down and kissed his erection, making Hyde hiss. She smiled at him, still high

on the power trip. She closed her mouth around his cock and sucked, taking him all the way in to the back of her throat. Hyde stuttered as she sucked him and then moaned when she choked. The sensations and sounds of it were driving him crazy. "Tory…" he whispered. "I-I'm going to come."

She gripped his hips to hold him steady and sucked even harder. Shock and pleasure ran through him when he realized that she planned on swallowing his cum. He felt the pressure building up and stiffened as it released with a wave of pleasure that sent his hips jerking and bucking. Tory held them still in her strong grip as she drank and swallowed his cum.

Hyde flopped back against the bed, exhausted and relaxed. He felt like he had just ran a marathon and then smoked a bag of weed. He smiled as Tory licked him clean before sliding his pants back on and securing them. _She loves me._

He needed to tell her that he loved her, but the words stuck in his throat. Just the thought of saying them, even to Tory, sent panic through him. _Just give me more time, Tory. I promise that one day I can say the words back._

Tory didn't seem to be in any rush to hear them, though. She wrapped her arms around him and untied his wrists. Hyde wrapped his arms around her, holding her close as she cuddled up against him, a sweet smile on her face. Hyde rubbed her shoulder gently as he kissed her forehead. _I love you._


	21. Chapter 21

"You really don't have to walk me home," Tory said as they walked out of his house. "You know I can take care of any muggers out there looking for easy prey."  
"I know," Hyde said. "But if someone attacks you, I can kick their ass without getting in trouble with the cops. And why miss out on that fun?" He grinned.

Tory smiled. "Well, I'd hate to ruin your fun," she said, kissing him briefly on the lips. She was grateful for the company back. It would give them more time together. And if she got him all the way to the Formans', she might be able to convince him to eat some food.

Hyde put his arm around her and pressed his lips to the top of her head. He had been particularly affectionate after she'd gotten him off. She wasn't sure if he was still in the after effects of a great orgasm or if he felt obligated to do so because she had said she loved him. She really hoped it was the first. She did love him, but she didn't want him to feel guilty about not loving her back. It wasn't like she expected him to.

"Are you cold?" Hyde asked as they walked down the street. He started to take off his jacket before she even answered.

"I'm fine," she said. She wrapped her arms around his waist underneath his jacket. "This is plenty warm."

He smiled down at her. He had been looking at her more and more with a strange expression on his face. It might not be his zen, but she still had no idea what he was thinking.

Hyde didn't let go of her until they got to the Formans'. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow," he said as he reluctantly removed his arm from around her shoulders.

"Nuh-uh," she said, dragging him into the kitchen. It was late, so they were luckily alone. She would be able to get him some left overs without Red scaring Hyde off. "Sit down."

He scowled. "Unless you're about to give me a sexy lap dance, I don't think so."

Tory went to the fridge and pulled out tupperwares of potatoes and vegetables. There wasn't any chicken left since the meat was being heavily rationed by Mrs. Forman, but potatoes and vegetables were better than nothing.

"Tory, I'm not hungry," he said.

"You haven't eaten since yesterday. Cut the crap."

"Maybe I don't want to eat regular food, man. I live off a diet of hatred, booze, and drugs."

"Mm," she said as she dished out the food onto a plate. She walked over and put it in front of him. "Well maybe if you ate real food, you would last longer."

His expression immediately became heated. Shivers ran through Tory's body when she saw the intense lust written all over his face. "I last long enough to get the job done," he said.

"Even with me drawing it out, you lasted like ten minutes. It's a good thing you took care of me beforehand."

Hyde growled and pulled her in for a kiss. "We'll see how long I last next time." Grudgingly he started eating the food. "I'm not eating this because of what you said."  
"Of course not, babe."

Hyde grabbed her hand with his free one, playing with her fingers while he ate. Tory smiled, happy just to have even that little amount of contact with him. She watched him attack the food eagerly, all but ravaging it and then scraping the plate clean. She really hoped he had been telling the truth about how long he'd been without food. _There's nothing you can do about it now. Just be glad he's eating._

Once he was done, Tory took the plate from him and put it into the sink. "Thanks for walking me home," she said as she hugged him.

"Thanks for feeding me," he said, burying his face into her hair. He held her tightly as if he was holding on for dear life. "Tory…" he whispered. "Thank you."

She smiled, knowing he was thanking her for more than just the food. "My pleasure," she whispered, kissing his cheek.

He looked at her, sorrow and shame on his face. She frowned. "Hey," she said. "Why are you sad?"  
"Earlier, when you said-"

Tory quickly silenced him with a kiss. "I don't expect you to say it back. Relax. I said it because I meant it, not because I needed you to say it back." She smiled. "I just needed you to know, okay? Don't make it a thing."

He nodded. "Okay," he said, relieved. Hyde kissed her again, tenderly and leaned his forehead against hers. "You're gorgeous," he said. "You're so fucking, gorgeous." He pulled away from her reluctantly, leaving Tory a little cold from the lack of contact. "I should get back home," he said. "I'm beat." His eyes stayed on the ground.

She nodded. "Stay safe, okay?"

He managed a smirk. "I'm always safe. It's everyone else who needs to be afraid of me."  
She rolled her eyes and smiled. "Then don't kill anyone, all right?"

"No promises. Later." He walked out the screen door a second later.

Tory sighed and went downstairs, thinking about Hyde. She hoped Edna came back soon. That bitch wasn't exactly mother of the year, but she at least paid the rent and put food in the house. Well, she usually put food in the house.

She stopped when she saw Eric on the couch in the basement. "Shouldn't you be asleep?" she asked.

He looked up at her and stood up. "Uh, yeah, I know. But… what's up with Hyde, man?" He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "Was it just me, or did something seem weird at his house? I mean, his mom running off with a trucker?"

Tory sat down in Hyde's chair. "I know," she said. "That's actually why I stayed back, so we could talk." She clenched her jaw. "I don't like this either. He seems convinced that she'll come back, but I'm worried about him."

"So she's really gone, then." He started pacing the room.

"Yeah. She has been for a few days. He ran out of food yesterday, apparently. I made him eat leftovers when he walked me home."  
Eric sighed. "This is bad. What should we do?"

Tory shook her head. "I don't know. Let's see if Edna comes back. If she does, cool, if not… we'll figure something out." Her stomach tightened. She already knew what to do if Edna didn't come back, but she knew Eric would never go for that plan.

Eric nodded. "You're right. Who does that to their kid, man? Who?"

Tory stayed silent. She knew plenty of parents who would do that to their kids. While her parents had never walked out on her, they sure as hell didn't care whether or not she was in the house. They never even reported her missing after she left. But it never should have happened to Hyde. He deserved so much better than Gross Edna as his mother. "Look, there's nothing we can do tonight," she said. "We'll figure it out tomorrow."

Eric nodded. "Well, uh, good night."

"Hey, Eric?" Tory said. "Why did Steven get into a fight with Kelso?"

Eric looked down at the ground, rubbing his neck nervously. "Kelso was just being a dumbass," he said. "It's nothing, really. Not important."

She frowned. "Tell me. I want to know."  
He sighed. "Well, after you left, Kelso made a comment about your scars. He said you looked better with your shirt on than with it off."

"That's it? Hyde fought him over _that_?" Tory frowned. Since when was that a crime? She had said it herself earlier that night.

Eric looked at her, surprised. "That's pretty bad, Tory! I mean, are you really that surprised?"  
"Uh, yeah. Kelso is one of his best friends. Why would he lose it over something stupid like that?" It must be his male ego or something.

"You really have no idea how much Hyde likes you, do you?"

She shrugged. Of course Hyde liked her. He thought she was hot and she also brought out the protective side in him. She also knew how to steal booze without getting caught, so that was a huge positive for him as well. But why would he care enough about _her_ of all people to try to kill Kelso over a random comment? "I know he likes me. But trying to murder Kelso over that is just stupid."

"You make him stupid! He-" Eric shook his head. "I can't talk sense into you. You're the anti-Jackie but just as irrational."

She scowled. "That's hurtful and not true. I know the Fonz can't take Bruce Lee, okay? Jackie still doesn't."

Eric smirked. "Good point."

Tory grinned as she thought of something. "Wait. If Jackie is the devil, and I am the anti-Jackie, then am I Jesus?"

Eric threw his hands up in the air. "Okay. Well, I can't talk to you anymore. Good night!"

"How dare you walk away from Jesus, puny human!" Tory shouted up after him, laughing.

"Jesus is not the Hulk- okay you know what? Just… Night!"

Tory laughed and grabbed her bedding from the storage room to spread out on the couch. Her amusement faded as she curled up on the couch with the pillow and blanket. She already knew what she had to do if if Edna really left. She'd have to leave. After all, Hyde needed a place to stay. And the Formans could really only afford one stray orphan.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks for all of the follows and reviews, everyone! I really appreciate it and I'm glad people are liking my story!**

"No," Red told Tory. "No egg rolls. I had enough foreigner food when I was fighting in Korea and I don't plan on eating anymore."

"Well, that is too bad, because Mrs. Forman put me in charge of dinner, and this is what I know how to make." And it was all she could do with the ingredients in the house. All of the left over dry ingredients were gone, and now the only things left was coffee and some slightly sour milk. With Kitty doing more and more double shifts, no one had been grocery shopping for awhile. She would have to go tomorrow.

She placed the dishes of egg rolls and fried rice on the table, which she had set for Red and Eric. Red scowled at the dishes. "You know when I was your age-" he sighed when remembered who he was talking to. "Why do you have to be weird?"

Tory grinned. "That was a very sad put down, especially for you."

"Shut up."

Eric came in a second later. "Egg rolls and fried rice?" he grinned. "All right."

Red muttered something under his breath.

"You're not eating, Tory?" Eric asked when he noticed there were only two plates.

"Nope," Tory said. "I'm going to the Hub with Steven tonight." And there was only enough food for two. Not that she would tell them that. She grabbed her purse. "See you guys later," she said as she walked out.

Tory found Hyde in his living room, reading a _Playboy._ She wrapped her arms around his neck as she peered over her shoulder. "Any positions in there you want me to try out?"

His breath hitched and he closed the magazine before turning and kissing her. "Don't tease me like that."

"Who said I was teasing?" She asked. She grabbed the magazine and flipped through the pages. "I'm not sure I'm this flexible, but with practice-"

Hyde stood up and crushed his lips to hers before she could finish talking. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her there possessively as he kissed her. Tory felt a thrill run down her spine as she melted into the kiss. "Enough talking," he said. He started to take off her shirt but Tory batted his hands away.

"No," she said. "I'm hungry. We're going to the Hub."

He groaned and leaned his head on her shoulder. "Whatever," he said.

She giggled. "We can do the other thing later. Food first."  
"Fine." He grimaced. "Food first."

"Have you had anything to eat today?" She asked as she led him out of the house.

"No. I mean, a little. Not exactly a meal or anything. I'm trying this fasting thing, like those people in India who can think themselves to death, man."

She giggled. "I told you that one, remember?"

He grinned. "I know. It's good stuff, man."

Once they were seated at the Hub with burgers and fries, Tory asked, "Have you heard from Edna yet?"

He shook his head. "Not a word. But don't worry about it. Love is just in the air, that's all." He squeezed her hand gently. "She'll be back."

Tory bit her lip. "I hope so," she said.

"If you keep worrying about me then I'm telling Mrs. Foreman that all of the loose change she's been finding in the couch is from your paychecks."

Tory scowled at him. "You wouldn't dare."

He smirked. "Believe me, I would."

"I can't help worrying about you, Steven. I love you."

He flinched at her words and pulled his hand away.

Tory felt a pang of guilt. She knew she was making him uncomfortable by saying it. After all, he didn't feel the same way about her and she doubted he was used to hearing it from anyone- Edna wasn't exactly the loving type. But he needed to know _somebody_ out there loved him. It wasn't like Eric was about to have a heart to heart conversation with him. "Steven, it's not emotional blackmail. I'm telling you because I want you to know. If I was going to emotionally blackmail you, I'd withhold sex. It's much more effective."

"That is too true," he sighed. He grabbed her hand again and squeezed it. Tory squeezed it back, happy for the contact again. "Look, I know you're not doing emotional blackmail. It's just…" He looked down at the crumpled up tin foil and napkins in front of him, his jaw clenching. "I'm sorry. I wish I could..."

Tory leaned over and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "Relax," she said. "I don't expect you to."

"Let's get out of here," he said, pulling her up with a smirk. "I believe there are post-eating activities waiting for us."

"Post-eating activities, huh? Fancy words for a quick fuck."

Hyde wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned down to kiss the base of her neck. "Believe me, it won't be quick."


	23. Chapter 23

Hyde led Tory into his room and locked the door, just in case his mom came home before they were done. If she came home that night. He turned toward his girlfriend, smiling. She was so sexy. And so irresistible.

He pulled her toward him, giving her a long kiss. Tory melted into his arms. Her hands explored his abs beneath his shirt before traveling lower to his erection. Hyde hissed as she rubbed him through his jeans. He quickly moved her hand away.

Tory frowned and looked up at him. "Is everything okay?"

"I told you it won't be quick," he said, kissing her forehead. "We have all the time in the world, babe. I'm going to use it." Hyde reached down and hooked one arm around her legs, lifting her up. She squealed and giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Hyde smiled down at her.

 _I love you, Tory. I might not be able to tell you right now, but I'll do everything I can to show you._ He set her down on his bed as gently as he could before lying down next to her. He had put down clean cotton sheets earlier for the occasion. Tory deserved better than to be taken on a blanket that hadn't been presentable in the last decade. Hell she deserved silk sheets in a damn castle, but he had to work with what he had.

Hyde kissed her temples and cheeks, smoothing her hair back with his fingers. "You're so beautiful, Tory," he whispered. "So fucking sexy."

"Mm. You're so full of it," she said, smiling.

Hyde rested his hand on her stomach, under her shirt. He traced one of her scars, an old knife wound. "You are," he said. "Scars and all." He slid her shirt up an inch and kissed her stomach gently, pressing his lips to the burn marks, stab wounds, and belt lashes decorating her skin. "I'm not full of shit, Tory. Not being a phony is a big part of who I am."  
"You can't possibly find me sexy."

He smirked. "Doing the impossible is a hobby of mine." Hyde leaned down to keep kissing her, enjoying feeling her muscles flex beneath him with every touch. He traced the curve of her waist and hip with his index finger, his lips pressing against her belly button.

Tory moaned. "Are you sure you want to take it slow?" She asked breathlessly.

"Positive," he growled. It was killing him, too. His erection was already straining to be free, but he was going to take his sweet time. Tory was _not_ a quick fuck. He continued worshipping her like that for several minutes, raising her shirt millimeter by millimeter as he peppered her skin with kisses that left Tory bucking her hips underneath him.

When he reached her breasts, he stopped his kisses and cupped her breast lightly through her shirt. She grabbed his hand with both of hers and pressed it against her. "You're too slow," she said, her voice husky with lust.

Hyde smiled and leaned up to kiss her on the lips. "Patience," he whispered. He took Tory's shirt off and slid his hand under her bra. Tory moaned and wrapped her arms around Hyde's neck, pulling him up against her as she moved under his touch. Hyde groaned in response. She was going to kill him before he finished.

He reached around her and unhooked her bra quickly before taking it off and tossing it to the floor.

Hyde massaged her breasts before taking one of them into his mouth. Tory yelped and squirmed. Every single sound she made made him harder. He wasn't going to be able to hold back for much longer.

Tory seemed to sense this. She grabbed Hyde's shirt and pulled it over his head before sitting up to unbutton his jeans.

"Tory," he gasped when her hands rubbed him. "Oh god, Tory."

"Steven," she whispered. "I want you inside me."

Hyde froze. He couldn't even count all the times he imagined having sex with Tory and he couldn't think of an activity he would rather be doing. But he'd be damned if he took her before she was ready. "Are you sure? You don't have to, Tory. You never have to do anything like that for me." That asshole Evan had certainly expected sex, thought it was his right. _What if she thinks she has to?_

But Tory's eyes were dark with lust and love. The very sight of her made his throat tighten. "Please," she whispered. "I want you so bad, Steven. I'm begging-"

He cut her off with a kiss. "You never have to beg me for anything, Tory." _Damn it, I'm yours. I'll do whatever you want me to._ He reached for his nightstand drawer and pulled out a condom packet before going to unbutton Tory's pants. She spread her legs as soon as he pulled them off of her. Hyde gently brushed his fingers over her bare pussy. "You're so sexy."

She bucked her hips, trying to get more of his fingers, but Hyde pulled them back. He held Tory's legs open wide for a second and looked at her for a moment, enjoying having her completely exposed like that. Tory seemed to enjoy it as well. Her eyes traveled over his naked body as well and they darkened with lust as she looked at his large erection. "You're sexy, too," she whispered.

Hyde smirked at her. "I know." Then he leaned in and gently pressed his lips to her pussy before caressing her center with his tongue. He flicked her clit with his tongue.

Tory moaned and squirmed. "Oh god, Hyde." She tangled her fingers in his curls to hold him in place.

Hyde massaged her pussy with his mouth, enjoying her cries as he licked her clit before thrusting his tongue into her. Tory shouted out and he felt her climax before it happened. Her entire pussy was completely soaked. Hyde licked up and swallowed every drop of her essence before moving up to kiss her gently on the forehead.

Tory was breathless. "You're so amazing," she sighed. She found the condom which had dropped on the bed and held it up.

"Are you still sure you want to? We don't have to."

She smiled. "You're so adorable when you're nervous."

Hyde scowled. "I'm not nervous. Why would I be? I know I'm great at sex. Shut up."

"You're nervous. Not because you think you'll disappoint me- we both know you won't. But because you don't want to hurt me. It's incredibly sweet."

Hyde shrugged, uncomfortable. "Whatever," he muttered.

Tory reached down to grab his cock. Hyde groaned, shock and arousal making him forget his embarrassment. She smiled. "Sit up."

He obeyed, hoping she wouldn't tie him up. He doubted he could survive being helpless to her like that again, so soon. But instead, Tory planted tender kisses on his cheeks and neck. Hyde placed his hands on her back, holding her gently, protectively.

She opened up the condom packet and before Hyde could take it from her, she slid the sheath over his large shaft. Hyde caught his breath when she did. He'd never had a girl put a condom on him before. Somehow it was incredibly sexy.

Tory straddled his hips, intending to take him in like that, but Hyde stopped her and pushed her onto her back. "Just relax," he whispered. _God knows one of us should be relaxed._ He was wound tighter than a spring. He brushed his lips against hers while rubbing her folds to make sure she was still wet enough before slowly- torturously slow- sliding into her.

Tory tossed her head back and moaned quietly when he entered. Hyde placed soothing, tender kisses on her neck, working his way up to her jaw, then her face before kissing her deeply. He thrust into her slowly while she got used to the movement. She bucked her hips against him, begging for more with her body. Hyde happily gave it to her. He picked up the pace, his mind reeling from the pleasure of it. It was all he could do not to pin her down and take her until he was satisfied.

Tory nipped gently at the side of his neck, sending bolts of pleasure through Hyde. He gasped. "Tory, fuck."

"I love you," she whispered.

Hyde closed his eyes. _God, just say it. You know she deserves to hear it. Just say it back, you jackass._ But the words stuck in his throat. It had been over a decade since he last told someone he loved them. That someone- his mother- responded by throwing a broken beer bottle at his head. He hadn't been able to say it since. But he could do everything to show it to her.

Hyde's hand snaked down between them. Tory's eyes widened in confusion when his fingers reached between her folds. "But you already got me off," she said.

He smiled down at her. "You deserve another round." He kissed her roughly as he stroked her clit. He thrusted in and out of her at the same time.

Tory writhed under him, mewling helplessly. Hyde felt her muscles tighten around him as she came. "Steven!" Tory cried out. "Oh god, Steven."

Feeling her climax around him was too much for him and he felt himself tightening up as he came inside of her. "Tory," he gasped. "Fuck. Tory." _I love you._

He collapsed on top of her, trying to catch his breath. Tory ran shaking hands through his curls. "That was amazing," she whispered.

Hyde nodded, not sure if he could trust himself to speak. He slowly pulled out of her and turned away to take care of the condom and clean up. He lied back down a moment later and gathered Tory into his arms. "You're shaking," he said, frowning. He pulled the top sheet over her and started rubbing her arms to warm her up.

Tory smiled, her eyes half closed. "You're just that good," she said.

He chuckled and kissed her temple. "So are you, babe," he whispered.


	24. Chapter 24

Eventually they untangled themselves and got dressed. "Let me walk you home," Hyde said.

Tory looked at him and smiled despite the apprehension she felt. Edna still wasn't back. How long could she put off reality? "That sounds perfect. Thank you."

"Anything for you," he whispered, kissing her. Tory smiled, butterflies fluttering in her stomach from his touch. How did he do that to her? She had been living on the streets for years and had been so used to taking care of herself and trusting no one. She had been through more horrible shit than most people saw in a lifetime and somehow Steven Hyde broke through all of her barriers and made her act like an innocent school girl.

They walked hand in hand down the deserted street, heading for the Formans. Her home. It was like a perfect, fairy-tale fantasy just waiting to be shattered.

"Are you okay?" Hyde asked. His concern was evident even behind his sunglasses. "Did I hurt you?"

Tory smiled at him. "No," she said. "You were perfect. You _are_ perfect."

He looked down at the ground, his face flushing. He wasn't used to getting compliments that often, and Tory liked to take advantage of that whenever she could. "Whatever," he muttered. "But what's wrong? You've been quiet ever since… Tory, are you sure you're okay? Did I pressure you, or-"

She stopped and kissed him, trying to push back the burning in her eyes. How could such a sweet boy actually want her? "No, Steven," she whispered. "You're perfect. You didn't pressure me into anything and I know you never will. And you didn't hurt me. I promise. You gave me exactly what I wanted." _And then some._

Hyde cupped her face with his hands. "Then why do you look like you're about to cry?"

"I just…" _I'm going to have to leave this perfect life behind so you can get the life you deserve, and even though I've done it all before, it seems so much harder this time._ "I just love you so much."

He sighed and pulled her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said, his voice breaking. "I'm really sorry."

Tory breathed in the scent of him. She was sure he had misunderstood something but she wasn't sure what. So she figured it was best to just ignore it. "Come on," she said. "Red will kill me if I'm late."

Hyde snorted. "You're the only one of the group who can take him." But he let her go and grabbed her hand anyway.

They walked in silence to the Formans. Right outside, Hyde pulled Tory in for a kiss. She was surprised he didn't give her a quick peck and go. Instead he cupped her face tenderly with his hands as he tongue gently parted her lips. It was a deep and long kiss, but not full of lust or need. It was full of a strange tenderness that Tory couldn't identify.

It was a long time before Hyde broke away from her. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "Have a good night," he murmured.

Tory smiled up at him. _God, he's sexy._ "You too," she said.

Hyde smiled back at her before slowly backing away. He kept looking at her until reaching the street, where he turned to walk home. Tory watched him go, unable to keep off the lovestruck look on her face. She felt that ridiculous smile, and she could do nothing about it.

A cold blast of water hit her from the side. It almost knocked her off her feet but she braced herself as she turned to glare at a smirking Red Forman. He turned off the hose, grinning at her.

"I am not Eric," she said.

"No," he said. "That doesn't mean you didn't need a good cooling off."

She shrugged. "That's fair."

His lip curled in disgust. "Get inside before you catch something and Kitty kills me."

She grinned. "Yes, sir." She gave a mock salute before leaving him muttering angrily in the driveway.

She went down to the basement to find Eric waiting for her again.

"Hey, uh… why are you wet?"

Tory grinned at him as she grabbed a towel out of the dryer. "Red thought I needed a cooling down."

He smirked. "Oh yeah, he did that to me after Donna went home one night… and Hyde just dropped you off… oh my god, I'm going to stop that thought there."

"What? You don't like the idea of your foster sister and your best friend getting it-"  
" _Stopping. Thought. There!_ " Eric looked like he was about to stroke.

Tory giggled. Winding Eric up was just too easy.

Eric shook his head, his expression suddenly solemn. "Any word about Edna, yet?" He asked quietly.

Her grin faded. "No."

He nodded. "I was afraid of that." He sighed. "I need to tell mom and dad, don't I? I mean, I don't know what to do. Oh god."

"It'll be okay," Tory said.

Eric was pacing the room. "What if it's not? I mean, Hyde's not going to want to go into the system. He would live on the streets before he did that. Mom and Dad would call social services and force him to go with them, but what if he ends up in another abusive situation or they house him in a gym, or put him in an orphanage or something? Hyde would not do well in an orphanage. He hates roommates."

"We'll figure it out," Tory said. "I promise, Eric, it'll be okay. I'm not going to let anything like that happen to him."

He looked at her. "You really care about him, don't you?" he asked.

Tory nodded. "I do," she said.

Eric relaxed. "Good. He needs someone to look out for him. Someone he can actually open up to, you know?" He shrugged. "I should leave you to, uh, change." He flushed. "Please don't tell Donna I saw you in a wet t-shirt. Um, bye."

Tory laughed as he sprinted up the stairs before frowning again. She needed to leave soon. Before Eric told his parents and they called Social Services. She peeled off her wet clothes and dried off properly before putting on a black sweatshirt and jeans. _One more night. I'll spend just one more night with him before I go._


	25. Chapter 25

Hyde let Tory sleep in as he tried to find something to eat. He wished he could make Tory a proper breakfast and surprise it with her in bed, but there still was no food in the house. And he had spent everything he had and pawned the TV to pay the rent. All that was left was a few stale crackers and ketchup.

Scowling with disgust, he put the ketchup on the crackers before taking them into the living room. He set the plate down on the chair. No way was he going to serve Tory this crap.

He was trying to psych himself up to eat them himself when the phone rang.

Hyde grabbed it. "Hello?"

"Steven?"

Edna. "Mom- mom!" He cried, relieved. Thank god, she was safe. She was coming back. It would all be okay.

"You seem weird."

Ah, there was the maternal instinct he knew and loved. "Well, I couldn't help but notice that you're not back, yet."

"That's why I'm calling, Steven. I'm not coming back."

Hyde felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. No. His mother wouldn't walk out on him. She needed him so she could feel resentful at the world and enjoy moral high ground to Bud. "What?"

"My boyfriend's brother runs a production company. He cast me in as an extra in a few movies coming up. Steven this is my big break. My way out of lunch service." Her voice grew excited at the thought before it hardened again. "And I don't need you wrecking my life a second time. So you're not to come find me, you hear? I know I'm your mother, but I'm abandoning you."

"Whatever makes you happy, I guess," Hyde said in disgust. What the hell was he going to do now? Live on the streets? Just because Edna didn't want to take him to LA or wherever the hell she was at.

After he hung up he smashed the phone on the ground, unable to stop the rage coursing through him at his mom. He glared at the smashed phone and clenched his jaw as he tried to get a hold of himself. Not for his sake, but Tory's. She couldn't ever see him this angry.

There was a cautious knock on the door and Hyde turned to see Eric. "Hey," he said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. "Come on in, man. I'm all out of beer, but you can break something if you want."

"Well I kind of had my eye on the phone but you already beat me to it." Eric stepped in and stood awkwardly, looking at the wreck of the house. "Edna isn't coming back, is she?"

"No, she's coming back. I told you-"

"Hyde. Man." He frowned at the empty space that used to hold a full color TV. "Didn't there used to be a TV there?"

"Yeah. I pawned it."

"You pawned your mom's TV? Yeah, she's not coming back, man. And you know it."

"Whatever."

Eric almost sat in the chair and stopped himself before sitting on the ketchup crackers. "What are those?" his lip curled in disgust.

"Crackers, man. And ketchup. You know, for zest."

"Um, okay." Eric moved the plate onto the floor as if it was the most disgusting thing in the world. "So, what are you going to do?"

"Sell the house."

"You rent."

Hyde smiled sarcastically, his anger barely in check. "Well, I guess I'm in more trouble than I thought."

"Hyde, come on. Talk to my parents about this. What are you going to do, live on the streets? You won't make it."

"No, you wouldn't make it. I will."

"Damn it, Hyde."

"Stop worrying about me!" Hyde snapped. "I don't need your help I'll be fine!"

"Fine," Eric said. "Oh, uh, my mom made you a sandwich." He held up a ham and cheese sandwich wrapped in plastic that Hyde hadn't noticed before.

He stared at it, all too aware of the gnawing hunger in his stomach. "Okay, fine," he said, grabbing the sandwich. "But after this, no more help." He bit into it ravenously, stifling a groan as he ate it. He barely stopped himself from eating the whole thing, saving half of it for later. He could surprise Tory with an almost-decent breakfast after all.

"So did Tory stay the night here? I went down to the basement to see if she wanted to come over with me and she wasn't there."

"Yeah," Hyde said. "Does Red know?"

"Hell no. You honestly think I want to start a fight between them? If they got each other angry enough, he might kill her and then have a stroke."

Hyde smirked. "Tory can take Red."  
"Fair point. But still, it would get ugly." He shuddered. "Look, I'm happy Tory stayed the night and you guys are doing well, but please send her back soon. I do not want to get stuck in the crossfire in the Red Tory war."

"Yeah, sure, whatever." Hyde smirked. "But before I send her back, I want to do some naughty bad fun with her and you had better be gone for that."

Eric cringed. "Yeah. Yeah. Like I want to hear that. Bye."

"Later, Forman."

Hyde sighed as he watched his best friend leave. There was no way Eric was just going to leave him alone. Convincing him and the rest of the gang was going to be difficult. Well, it wouldn't be difficult to fool Kelso. But the rest of them, yes. But he wasn't going to worry about that now. He only had a few minutes to make his girlfriend feel like a princess before he had to kick her out of his house so Red wouldn't find out she snuck out.

But when he opened the door to his room, he found an empty bed, neatly made, with no trace of Tory to be found.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Thank you, everyone, who has stayed with me this far into the story! I really hope you like it and please leave a review, good or bad. I'm always happy to hear from readers. Only a few more chapters to go!**

Tory tried to calm herself down as she walked to the Formans, but the tears ran down her face anyway. She had left just after hearing the conversation Hyde had with Edna. It was clear she wasn't coming back. Knowing for sure she needed to leave hit her much harder than she thought it would. _How can I go back to living on the streets and fighting for my life after this?_ She brushed her tears away. She would have to. Hyde needed a real home and he could get that with the Formans if she wasn't there. She was dispensable, but if something happened to Hyde, everyone would be devastated. _This way only I will be devastated._

Tory snuck into the basement and grabbed her duffel bag to pack. She needed to get everything ready before she went through with her plan. After all, Hyde would figure out what she was doing and would feel obligated to come after her.

When Tory found Hyde's sleeping bag at the bottom of her small pile of possessions, she hesitated. It was a really nice sleeping bag that would keep her warm and safe while she was sleeping on the streets. And it would remind her of Hyde. But she couldn't take it. It was too bulky and it would probably get stolen anyway. _Besides, Steven should have it back. Isn't that was people do when they break up? Return possessions?_ As if this was a break up. This would be cruel on Tory's part if Hyde was in love with her.

After she was packed, she checked her wallet, which still had her last paycheck, her IDs, and everything else she needed to travel. Plus an old and faded picture of her and her family, when she was young. She couldn't go anywhere without her wallet.

When Tory was absolutely ready to run, she took a deep breath and went upstairs. Red was reading the newspaper at the kitchen table. Tory felt sick.

Red glanced at her. "Morning."

She grunted and went to the fridge.

"What the hell is your problem?"  
"I don't have a problem, what's yours?" She snapped.

Red put the paper down, frowning. "Listen, dumbass-"

"Listen, dumbass," she mimicked. She grabbed a beer out of the fridge and opened it. "I don't listen to anyone." _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry._

Red looked at her, shock flickering across her face before rage set in. "Are you taking one of my beers? In front of me? It's nine o'clock in the damn morning!"

"I'll take what I want, when I want." Her stomach was churning but she forced herself to raise the beer can to her lips and chug the entire thing while Red's face turned a light shade of purple. _I'm really, really sorry._

"Get out of my house!" He shouted. "You have five minutes to get out of here before I kick you out and don't ever come back!"

Tory silently put down the beer and left the kitchen, forcing herself not to look back at Red as she went to the basement. _Don't cry. Not yet. You can cry when you get on the bus._

She grabbed her things and ran back up. She didn't even look at Red at all as she tossed her keys on the kitchen table and ran out. It was done. Eric would convince Red and Kitty to let Hyde move in and he would be safe. She just needed to get out of town before Hyde found out.


	27. Chapter 27

Hyde awkwardly sat in the chair while Red sat on the couch. He and Kitty had been tense and edgy ever since they came to check up on him but he wasn't sure why and he was a little scared to ask. Red looked like he was just as likely to throw something at someone as he was to say hello.

"You, uh, need a coffee table," Red said absentmindedly while he glared off into space.

"Yeah." Hyde said. "That would really bring the room together."

Kitty came in from the kitchen then. It looked like she had been crying. "Steven, I was going to clean your kitchen, but frankly I'm scared." She laughed nervously. "Why don't you go gather some dirty clothes and I'll do a load of your laundry at our place."

"Really?" Excitement at the thought of clean clothes filled him. Even his least offending items were getting whiffy. "Thank you." He got up and went to his room, glancing sheepishly back at them when his door stuck for a second. As soon as his door closed, Kitty and Red were talking.

"We have an empty bed, thanks to you. We might as well give it to Steven," Kitty was saying. "He can't live here, he's just a boy."  
"Kitty, what happened this morning was not my fault. I don't know what got into Tory. And I don't know about letting Steven live with us. He's dating her. What if he turns out exactly like Tory? I don't want that negative influence around Eric and Laurie."

Hyde frowned. What were they talking about? Tory wasn't living with them anymore? Since when? And why was Red talking about her as if she was bad?

"We can't let him go off to social services," Kitty said. "He'll be put in a gymnasium, Red. Without heat!"

Red swore. "Damn it, Kitty! The only reason we could afford to feed Tory was because of all the loose change we found in the damn couch! Eventually that change is going to run out."

 _Sooner than you think since that was Tory's paychecks._ Hyde couldn't stand it anymore. He opened the door, without the bag of dirty laundry. "What's going on?" he asked. "Tory's not staying with you guys anymore?" _You let her go back to that shelter?_

Kitty looked down at the ground, embarrassed while Red looked away. "Steven," Kitty said. "We would like you to stay with us."

"What happened to Tory?" Confusion and panic were starting to get the better of him.

"I caught her stealing one of my beers," Red said quietly. "So I asked her to leave."

"I was against it when I found out," Kitty said. "But what's done is done. And it would be a pleasure to have you stay with us, Steven."

Hyde shook his head. "No. No way. Something's wrong, man. Tory doesn't get caught."

"What?" Red said sharply.

"She doesn't get caught," Hyde repeated. "She's way too smart for that. Look, she was living on the streets for years and sometimes she had to steal to survive. She always got away with it. Last week, this store owner paid her thirty bucks to rob his store and find all of the security holes. She walked out with like a case of beer without the staff noticing, and she kept herself off the security tapes. I'm telling you, she doesn't get caught."  
"Well I must be magic, because I caught her this morning," Red said grimly. "And she certainly wasn't being that sneaky or smart about it."

"Tory wanted to get caught. I just don't know…" Everything clicked into place. Panic took full hold of him when he realized what his girlfriend did. _I love you, Steven. I would do anything for you._ His legs collapsed from under him and Red and Kitty both reached out to steady him.

"Are you okay?" Kitty asked. "Are you feeling dizzy? Have you eaten anything today?"

"We need to go to the bus station right now," Hyde said. "Please Mr. and Mrs. Forman. We need to stop her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Red said.

"Tory got caught on purpose so you would kick her out," Hyde said. "She did it so you would be able to offer me a place to stay. We need to go. Now!"


	28. Chapter 28

Hyde awkwardly sat in the chair while Red sat on the couch. He and Kitty had been tense and edgy ever since they came to check up on him but he wasn't sure why and he was a little scared to ask. Red looked like he was just as likely to throw something at someone as he was to say hello.

"You, uh, need a coffee table," Red said absentmindedly while he glared off into space.

"Yeah." Hyde said. "That would really bring the room together."

Kitty came in from the kitchen then. It looked like she had been crying. "Steven, I was going to clean your kitchen, but frankly I'm scared." She laughed nervously. "Why don't you go gather some dirty clothes and I'll do a load of your laundry at our place."

"Really?" Excitement at the thought of clean clothes filled him. Even his least offending items were getting whiffy. "Thank you." He got up and went to his room, glancing sheepishly back at them when his door stuck for a second. As soon as his door closed, Kitty and Red were talking.

"We have an empty bed, thanks to you. We might as well give it to Steven," Kitty was saying. "He can't live here, he's just a boy."  
"Kitty, what happened this morning was not my fault. I don't know what got into Tory. And I don't know about letting Steven live with us. He's dating her. What if he turns out exactly like Tory? I don't want that negative influence around Eric and Laurie."

Hyde frowned. What were they talking about? Tory wasn't living with them anymore? Since when? And why was Red talking about her as if she was bad?

"We can't let him go off to social services," Kitty said. "He'll be put in a gymnasium, Red. Without heat!"

Red swore. "Damn it, Kitty! The only reason we could afford to feed Tory was because of all the loose change we found in the damn couch! Eventually that change is going to run out."

 _Sooner than you think since that was Tory's paychecks._ Hyde couldn't stand it anymore. He opened the door, without the bag of dirty laundry. "What's going on?" he asked. "Tory's not staying with you guys anymore?" _You let her go back to that shelter?_

Kitty looked down at the ground, embarrassed while Red looked away. "Steven," Kitty said. "We would like you to stay with us."

"What happened to Tory?" Confusion and panic were starting to get the better of him.

"I caught her stealing one of my beers," Red said quietly. "So I asked her to leave."

"I was against it when I found out," Kitty said. "But what's done is done. And it would be a pleasure to have you stay with us, Steven."

Hyde shook his head. "No. No way. Something's wrong, man. Tory doesn't get caught."

"What?" Red said sharply.

"She doesn't get caught," Hyde repeated. "She's way too smart for that. Look, she was living on the streets for years and sometimes she had to steal to survive. She always got away with it. Last week, this store owner paid her thirty bucks to rob his store and find all of the security holes. She walked out with like a case of beer without the staff noticing, and she kept herself off the security tapes. I'm telling you, she doesn't get caught."  
"Well I must be magic, because I caught her this morning," Red said grimly. "And she certainly wasn't being that sneaky or smart about it."

"Tory wanted to get caught. I just don't know…" Everything clicked into place. Panic took full hold of him when he realized what his girlfriend did. _I love you, Steven. I would do anything for you._ His legs collapsed from under him and Red and Kitty both reached out to steady him.

"Are you okay?" Kitty asked. "Are you feeling dizzy? Have you eaten anything today?"

"We need to go to the bus station right now," Hyde said. "Please Mr. and Mrs. Forman. We need to stop her."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Red said.

"Tory got caught on purpose so you would kick her out," Hyde said. "She did it so you would be able to offer me a place to stay. We need to go. Now!"


	29. Chapter 29

Tory looked blankly at the sign with the bus times. She'd be gone in five minutes. Five minutes and Point Place would be only a pleasant dream in her memory.

She looked down at her ticket to New York City. She didn't know where else to go. It would be nice to have some place familiar around her, as if none of it ever happened. And with Evan gone she should be safe.

There was a loud crash and a shout. Tory tensed as she spotted a couple fighting only a few feet away from her. They were screaming at each other. The woman reached out and slapped the man across the face. Tory flinched, panic welling up inside her from the sound. She felt the memory of a slap sting her own cheeks from when Evan hit her for the first time and fear had flooded through her.

Suddenly a strong hand gripped her arm. "Did you really think I would let you leave?" Someone growled at her.

She pulled away, terror coursing through her and she held her arms up to shield her face.

"I'm not going to hit you, idiot!" Hyde shouted. He grabbed her arms and pulled them down to her sides. "I can't believe you did this!"

Tory set her jaw. This was going to be a lot harder if she had to push him away in person. "Don't touch me!" she shouted, pushing him away. "And you had better leave. All I need to do is scream and I can get you arrested for assault."

"Good," he snapped. "Do it. That way you'll have to stick around long enough for the court case which is plenty of time for everyone to convince the Formans to take you back. Especially when I tell the Formans I manipulated and browbeat you into taking the beer."

She paled. He had to be bluffing. Why would he go to jail for her? He could have everything he wanted if he just let her go right now. Why would he want her to stay? _It doesn't matter because there's no way in hell you'll get him arrested._

Hyde reached for her hand but she flinched away, images of Evan still swirling through her head. Anguish crossed his face, but he didn't try to grab her again. "Let's go. Now."

"I'm not going with you."

He clenched his jaw, emotions warring on his face. He didn't want to scare her anymore, but he didn't want to let her go. "Yeah," he finally said. "You are." He grabbed her hand, despite her flinching, and pulled her to where the Formans were with their car.

Tory pulled away from him finally when they were in front of Red and Kitty. "Stop it! I'm a bad influence, remember? I steal and I talk back."

"You only did that because you didn't want me to live in a homeless shelter! Before that, you were skipping meals and cashing your paychecks in quarters to hide in the couch to make sure they could pay the bills on time!" Hyde shouted. "Because of me, you got attacked by four men in that shelter and almost died!"

"Because of me, you were beaten so badly you almost had to go to the hospital!" Tory turned to the Formans. "Edna's old boyfriend, Evan, beat the shit out of Hyde. And the only reason why he was here was because he was looking for me."

"Oh please," he scoffed. "Mr. and Mrs. Forman, she had been trapped and tormented by Evan for over a year before she escaped to Point Place. That happened because she was living on the street. And she was about to go back there because of me. If anyone's the bad influence, it's me."  
"He was about to go to jail for me," Tory retorted. "He's the one who found me at the shelter and almost passed out donating blood to save my life. I'd be dead right now if it weren't for him."

"Damn it, Tory-" Hyde took a step toward her and Tory reflexively flinched away, fear flooding her. He froze, pain and grief on his face."

Kitty's face filled with horror when she saw the girl flinch. She turned to Hyde. "Steven, you're not…" she trailed off, not even able to finish the thought.

Hyde's anguished look was replaced by determination and Tory's stomach churned. She had fucked everything up and Hyde now had what he needed to convince the Formans he was the monster. "I've been beating her," he said. Hyde fidgeted and cleared his throat. "For months, now I've been hitting her and controlling her. I've been forcing her to do… stuff. Everything she said and did today is because of some sort of Stockholm Syndrome reaction. Or because she's terrified of me. She's not a bad influence. I am."

Silence descended on the four of them and Tory's eyes filled with tears. _Don't do this, Steven. You deserve a real home, not to be locked up for a crime you didn't commit._

Finally, Red broke the silence. "You're both dumbasses," he said. "And _you_ ," he pointed at Hyde, "are a lying dumbass. Both of you get in the car. We're going home. There's not going to be any more talk about who's bad, and if either of you say that we can't take both of you, then my foot will go so far up your ass, it will make your childhood seem like paradise." He grinned. "Finally. A threat that will work on you idiots."

The ride to the Formans' was awkward. Kitty had recovered from the drama and was discussing sleeping arrangements with Red. But while the two of them talked up front, Tory and Hyde stayed silent in the back. They looked out the windows and stayed as far away from each other as possible.

Tory felt incredibly miserable. Having Hyde so mad at her made her feel cold inside. She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. Something big and heavy hit her. She looked to see Hyde's jacket on her lap. He must have seen her shiver and given it to her. But he still wouldn't look at her, instead looking out the window as if nothing had happened.

Tory wanted to put the jacket on surround herself with his scent. But it wouldn't help enough. Not when he couldn't even stand the sight of her. She tossed the jacket back at him, not even looking to see his reaction.

She didn't know which was more painful: going to New York and never seeing Hyde again, or living in the same house as him while they were broken up.

 **A/N: The end! Just kidding :) But there are only a few more chapters left, so if you have read this far, thank you so much! I really hope you're still enjoying this story and please let me know in the reviews. Have a good day!**


	30. Chapter 30

Hyde stared blankly at the TV. He didn't even know what show he was watching. Jackie and Kelso making out on the couch barely registered. And he wasn't even stoned. He was just… numb. Ever since Tory tried to leave three weeks ago, numb and unthinking was the best state of mind he could be in.

 _She flinched._

All it took to send self-disgust, guilt, and sadness back into him was to picture her finching away from him. She still did it even now on the rare occasions they were forced to be in the same room together, which was really only for breakfast and dinner. She had stopped hanging out in the basement and she changed her walking routes at school so they wouldn't bump into each other. She was still trying to run away from him.

 _It's just what you deserve after you grabbed her like that._ He had been so scared to lose her and so hurt, he had acted without thinking. He had been rough, angry, even, and he never should have let Tory see him like that. He shouldn't have gone after her while being so upset. Kitty could have gone after her.

But instead he had to go and scare her and now he reminded her too much like Evan. Who knows? Maybe he was like Evan. If he hurt her and left bruises on her arms, then what made him different than him? Edna's voice rang shrilly in his head. _You're just like your father._ She was probably right.

Tory didn't even have any idea that he was in love with her. She thought she was expendable to him. That was his fault too. _Everything that happened was my fault. Of course she would abandon me. I'm not worth sticking around for. Even my mom knew that._

Donna came in, grinning. Her hair was in some sort of side braid, like Tory wore. "Hey guys!" She said. "Don't you like my French side braid?"

Kelso and Jackie broke apart long enough for them to look at it. Kelso grinned. "Looks hot, Big Red," he said.

Jackie wrinkled her nose. "Not bad. But it would look better if your hair wasn't red."  
Donna scowled at her in return. "I think it looks badass. And the color of my hair wasn't a problem for…." she looked at Hyde warily. "Well, me. Because I love my hair."

Kelso grinned stupidly. "It looks a lot like Tory's," he said.

Donna flushed and she glanced at Hyde again. "No, it doesn't," she said.

"Yeah, it does," he laughed "It's exactly like hers."

"No-"

"Donna," Hyde said. "It's fine. You were hanging out with Tory and she did your hair. I'm not going to give you crap for hanging out with my ex."

Kelso looked at Hyde, confused. "You're not back with Tory, yet?"

"No. Unlike your weird relationship with little miss princess over here, most people stay broken up when they break up."

"But you love her," Kelso said.

"No I don't."

"Yeah, you do," all three of them said at once.

"Whatever." Hyde got up and went to the basement's back room. _Not the back room. My bedroom._ They had put him in Eric's room at first, but after he and Eric tried to kill each other, Red and Kitty let him move into the basement. Kitty was worried Hyde and Tory would get "intimate" if they slept so closely together, but Red assured her that _that_ couldn't happen, not when Tory and Hyde weren't even speaking. He was right.

Hyde locked himself in his room and lied down on the cot. Just about any peace he got now was from sleeping or smoking weed. Sleeping was cheaper.

A/N: Thanks everybody for the reviews! They really mean a lot to me! I hope you like this chapter and I promise I'll have more soon. Thank you!


	31. Chapter 31

Tory splurged on some new clothes from Goodwill. It was the most she had ever spent from one paycheck. _Not that it matters, now that the Formans put my money in a savings account instead of buying groceries._ She hadn't had much of an appetite since the breakup and all of the clothes she had bought with Kitty were now too big on her. She was almost the same size she was when she was living at the shelter.

But it was impossible for her to eat comfortably when she could feel Hyde's pain practically radiating off of him. She had flat-out betrayed him and she was reminded of that whenever she sat down to dinner.

She was checking out when she ran into Fez. "Hey," she said, surprised. "You shop at Goodwill?"

"Of course not," he said, looking repulsed. "In my country, buying used clothes is a sign of low class and no morals. But this is America, so you're fine." He held up a trash bag. "My host parents are making me donate all of my lovely pairs of leather pants. Apparently they are the devil's uniforms for his sex slaves." He pouted.

Tory laughed. "Sorry, buddy. I'll walk you to the donation bin."

"Good. Then my angel can tell me why she is so sad."

She pretended to be insulted. "Excuse me? Angel? When did I get downgraded from Goddess?"

"Jackie said I couldn't keep calling both of you Goddess and I had to choose. I'm sorry, Tory, but she's been in the group longer, so she keeps that title. Besides, she's all scary like a goddess, and you're all sweet like an angel." They started walking to the donation area.

Tory smiled. She was more like a demon from hell after she ripped Hyde's heart out and stomped on it, but she would never convince Fez of that. "Thanks, Fezzie."

Fez tossed the bag into the nearest bin. "So why is my angel so sad? Is it because of Hyde?"

Tory shrugged. "Well, yeah," she said. "I really hurt him by running away and I hate that. I never wanted to hurt him."

"Of course running away would hurt him. His mother just abandoned him and on the same day the love of his life abandoned him? What were you thinking?"

"I know that now," Tory said. "I didn't know I was the love of his life at the time. Hell, I can barely believe it now even though everyone's told me he loves me." _Everyone but Steven himself._

"I get it." Fez said, nodding. "You weren't really part of the group for long before he started loving you, so you never knew how he was before. Tory, before you, Hyde didn't smile. Not ever. Not unless he was stoned. Any sign of happiness he showed- unless it was about beer or weed- wasn't real.

"And he didn't want to date anyone. He said dating was prostitution with no guarantee. But all of that changed with you. He smiled around you and gave you the highest amount of affection he is capable of. You were his entire world. In my country, Hyde's love is called _dhuljadfnndkajdfdl_ , or, happily-impale-himself-on-a-rusty-spear-to-please-you love." Fez raised his eyes to the ceiling dramatically. "Not even I, the love god embodied on Earth, have felt that level of love."

Tory frowned. He really cared about her that much? How was that possible? She shook her head. "Why would he love _me_ that much? I'm not special."

Fez scoffed. "You American girls with your insecurities. Fine, don't believe you're special or worth loving. But just know that Hyde _does_ love you that much. And it's obvious that you still love him just as much, my angel. You should go to him and have wonderful make-up sex. I know the perfect hiding spot in his room so you won't even know I'm there."

Tory laughed and punched Fez lightly on the arm. "Not going to happen." But Fez was right about one thing. She needed to stop being a coward and talk to Hyde.

A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! I really appreciate them! I'm so glad you like Tory. I'll be posting the next chapter soon. Only a few more to go! Thanks!


	32. Chapter 32

"Just talk to her already!" Eric said. "You and Tory are almost worse to have around than _Laurie._ Laurie! My sister! She's almost better company than you."

"That's low," Hyde said. "You don't have to worry about picking up a porno and seeing me or Tory in it. You do with Laurie." He put the pillow over his face. "Leave me alone. I'm trying to sleep."  
"It's three in the afternoon." Eric pulled the pillow away from him. "Mom's worried about you. Dad's crankier than usual and mutters your name a lot, so I think he's worried about you, too. And frankly, I'm worried about you, man. You barely say two words and you sleep twelve hours a day."

"Relax, Erica."

"No, man. Just… just talk to me about it. You know I'm not going to tell anyone."

Hyde sighed. "Fine." He sat up. "I scared my girlfriend because I'm an asshole. Now she flinches whenever she sees me and she avoids me. I have to sleep in here wondering what's happening to her out there and if one of Laurie's boy toys is going to come down here and take advantage of her. But she won't switch rooms with me because she's still a freaking nice person and doesn't want me to sleep on a damn couch, so every night I'm reminded about how much I don't deserve her. There. I shared. Happy?"

Eric shook his head. "You need to talk to her, man. Because I know she's not scared of you. Tory's a damn rock, man. It's going to take more than grabbing her arm to wig her out."

"Then why is she flinching, moron?" Hyde reached out and punched his friend on the arm.

Eric rubbed his arm. "I don't know, Hyde. Maybe because she feels guilty for running off like that? You're the one who knows her the best. What do you think she's feeling?"

Hyde leaned against the wall and gritted his teeth. Usually he did know what she was thinking. They could usually read each other so easily. But this time he had no idea. "There's no reason for her to feel guilty, man. I messed up."

"There's no reason for you to think you're a monster, either, but apparently you do. The two of you seriously need to clear the air."

Hyde rolled his eyes. He knew Eric was right but he wasn't sure he could stand an entire conversation with Tory cowering in front of him, her eyes on the floor. Meal times were bad enough when she would shrink away from him and barely touch her food, as if she was expecting him to strike her if she ate too much. "Fine. I'll talk to her."

"Today."

"Yes. _Today._ " Hyde gritted his teeth. Before Eric started dating Donna, he didn't have the balls to boss him around. His newfound confidence was a menace. "Now get out of my room."

"Okay." Eric got up and left. Hyde wanted to go back to sleep and forget about the whole conversation. But he had a feeling Red or Kitty would be down next. He almost missed Edna and her indifferent to hostile feelings for him. At least that he could deal with. Well-meaning people worried about him? Not at all. _They're right. You need to talk to Tory._

"Fuck." Hyde got up.

He walked out to the basement just as Tory was coming in through the back door. She froze when she saw him. Hyde stayed back, trying to look as non-threatening as possible. Since he usually tried to do the opposite of that, he wasn't sure how that was working out for him. "Hey," he said quietly. "Can we talk?"

 **A/N: Thanks for all the reviews and messages, everyone! They really mean a lot! There is one more chapter after this, and then an epilogue and even deleted scenes, from ideas I had that I wasn't able to incorporate into the story. Wow, this is going to be the end of my first long fan fiction! That's crazy.**


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: Hi Guys! I'm really sorry about what happened to this chapter. I don't know why the formatting turned out really weird and thank you so much for telling me about it. Hopefully it doesn't happen this time around. A huge thanks to everyone who told me, and a huge shoutout to MiaR who decided to read the whole thing anyway, despite the unfriendly format.**

* * *

"Hey," he said, quietly. "Can we talk?"

Tory nodded. "I was about to ask you the same thing," she said. She had shopping bags in her hand and she dropped them to the floor before pulling out her wallet and fiddling with it. "Look, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have hurt you." She stepped closer to him and looked at her wallet and then at his face briefly before back down at her wallet. "I know there's no reason you should trust me after I ran like that. It was deceptive and manipulative of me and even though I meant to protect you, I really hurt you."

Hyde's throat constricted. She actually believed it was all her fault. "Tory-"

"No, please let me finish," she said. She held up her wallet. "This has everything I need to disappear. Money, ID, everything. Even a couple of pictures of me and my family. I can't go anywhere without it." Tory swallowed and held it out to him. "I want you to have it. If you have it, then you always know I'm not about to run. Then you can trust me again and hopefully we can start over."

He felt like he was going to be sick. She was offering up her freedom for him. Why would she want him back after what he did to her? "I can't take that from you, Tory," he said. "It's too much power over you. I don't want to control you."

"We both know that if I ask you for my wallet then you would give it to me without hesitation no matter what I was about to do. It's not control. It's just so you never have to wonder if I'm about to leave you."

Hyde took the wallet hesitantly. There was so much he needed to say but the words wouldn't come. "It's not your fault, Tory," he said finally. "I made you feel expendable and then I scared you. I seem to keep hurting you when all you do is sacrifice for me. It's my fault and I don't deserve you and I know that. I'm really sorry."

He closed his eyes and steeled himself for his next confession. Rationally he knew Tory wasn't about to throw a beer bottle at his head but his stomach churned anyway and his entire body tensed up to prepare for a hit. "I love you, Tory. More than anything or anyone. All I want to do is protect you and make you happy and as much as it terrifies me, I'd give anything to do exactly that. I fucked this up. I'm the one who should be giving something up to fix it, but I don't know if I even can fix it."

Tory stepped even closer so they were almost touching. He wanted to reach out and grab her so badly but he made himself be still. He'd never scare her again, not if he could help it.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "And I know you love me. I've known ever since the bus station when you tried to convince Red and Kitty that you were hurting me. I mean, if they believed you, you would have gone to jail, been kicked out of school, and lost all of your friends for good. I still can't believe you did that."

"I had to. I had to make sure you were safe and happy. Tory, I don't care what I have to give up to protect you. You're the most important person in my life."

Tears welled up in her eyes and she quickly looked away.

"Oh man, I didn't mean to make you cry."

Tory smiled and threw her arms around Hyde's waist in a tight hug. "They're tears of happiness, Steven. I love you so much. You're so sweet."

Unable to restrain himself any more, Hyde wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not sweet," he whispered. "I don't deserve you, Tory, and I doubt I ever will."

She shook her head and buried her face into his chest. "You do, too, Steven Hyde, and don't ever say that you don't."

"I scared you, Tory. You flinch around me."

"At the bus station, a nearby couple was fighting and the girl slapped the guy across the face. That brought up memories of when Evan did that for the first time."

His arms tightened around her. Just the thought of her getting hurt was enough to make him go insane with rage.

Tory didn't seem to mind the tight grip he had on her, though. She was completely relaxed with her body flush against his. "I was already in the middle of a flashback when you grabbed me. And if I'm nervous around you now… well, it's because I never want to hurt you again and it kills me to see you upset because of me. The flinching isn't your fault."

He was relieved to hear her say that and to know that she wasn't really scared of him. But there was no way he was going to forget that. If she ever flinched around him again he'd lose it.

"What I don't understand," Tory said, "is how you can love me of all people? I know you do, but I just don't get it. I'm nothing. Less than nothing."

 _Wow, Evan really did a number on her._ With her confident and easygoing facade, it was easy to forget how insecure she felt. And it was probably because that asshole spent a year manipulating and brainwashing her.

Knowing it was going to take more than a quick assurance to get her to stop believing that, Hyde pulled Tory into his room and locked the door, gesturing for her to sit on the bed. "Listen to me," he said as he sat beside her. "You're beautiful, sexy, and fucking brilliant. You were able to survive on the streets for years and still be kind to everyone you meet. You're a talented singer and I still don't know how you manage school and a job the way you do. There's no one, and I mean no one, who's better than you, or more worthy of love. Don't ever believe that you're nothing, Tory. Because you're everything."

Tory looked down at her hands, blushing. "I-I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. But you're not nothing, Tory. And I never want you to think that. You're everything to me and I'd die if I lost you." He rested his head against her shoulder, unable to look her in the eye after that confession. He'd never been so honest with anyone in his life and it was freaking him out a little. But he was glad he said it.

"I'd die if I lost you, too." she whispered back. Tory turned toward him and tangled her fingers in Hyde's hair, which sent shivers down his spine. He put shaking hands on her hips and raised his head to kiss her. Tory sighed into his mouth and she relaxed against him. Hyde moaned and pushed her down on his bed, getting on top of her.

He kissed her gently, reverently. He couldn't stop his hands from shaking at he continued to touch her. Having her with him again send shock, happiness, and relief all through him and that emotion was probably going to kill him. "I love you," he whispered. Saying the words made terror run through him. But he had to. He'd keep saying them until they didn't hurt so much. He had to. She couldn't ever feel expendable again and he'd spend every damn day telling her he loved her until she could believe it.

 **A/N: Wow, only an epilogue left! And then I'm planning on posting some "deleted scenes" based off ideas that I had for this story but couldn't put into practice. Thank you so much for reading this far. Frankly, I'm surprised (but ecstatic) that you still are. If you read my other fanfics, then I promise that I will update Jackie's New Slave soon, and I have an idea (but nothing written, yet) about a sequel for Jackie Discovers Hyde's Dominant Side. Let me know if you want me to write any more Hyde/OC fanfictions. No promises, but if you guys do want more, then I'll see if I can make some more. Have a good day, everybody!**


	34. Epilogue

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for reading to the end! I really appreciate it and I hope you like the epilogue. Fun fact, Hyde once broke up with a girl because she liked the Little River band. So I thought that would be funny to add in. :) Enjoy!**

Two weeks later…

"You said I got to pick the date, remember?" Tory said, grinning.

"Yeah, I do," Hyde sighed and let Tory lead him through the crowds of people to their seats."I didn't think you'd take me to a Little River Band concert, though."

Tory wrapped her arms around his waist, breathing in his scent. God, she had missed that. "Do you regret letting me pick?"

Hyde put an arm around her shoulder. "Of course not," he said. "I just want to spend time with you. You know that." He kissed the top of her head and leaned down to whisper, "I love you."

Tory smiled, her throat constricting as she looked up at her boyfriend. "Thank you," she whispered back. "I love you, too."

Ever since they got back together, Hyde had made it a point of telling her he loved her whenever he could. Tory could tell it had been really difficult for him at first. He wouldn't be able to look her in the eye a lot of time and sometimes he even flinched away from her, as if he thought she would beat him for saying it. But he made sure to say it every morning when she woke up and every night when she went to sleep. It eventually got easier for him. Now he could say it easily when they were alone, even though he wouldn't ever say it in front of other people if he thought they could hear it.

"Now come on, before I regret this," Hyde said.

Tory giggled and led him to their seats through the roaring crowd. When they sat down to wait for it to start, Tory realized she was still holding her ticket stub. She handed it to Hyde. "Here, can you put this in my wallet?"

"Yep," he said, taking the ticket from her hand. He pulled Tory's wallet out of his pocket and put it in. He had given up on trying to give her back her wallet. Tory insisted he keep it. She never wanted him to wonder if she was about to leave or not. And she felt better herself with him having it. She wasn't sure why. Maybe because she knew he wouldn't ever try to control her with it, or maybe because she still felt guilty about trying to leave. But it worked for her. So it eventually it worked for Hyde.

Hyde did his best to pretend to enjoy the concert. He didn't even grimace that much when the Little River Band came back for an encore when the concert ended.

To get through it, he focused on Tory instead of the show, gazing at her excited smile and trying not to think too much about how fucking sexy she looked in her halter top that just barely showed an inch of her flat stomach, but hugged her curves nicely. If he thought too much about it, he'd start undressing her in the middle of the damn audience.

As the band finally left the stage, Tory turned to him and wrapped her arms around his waist before kissing him. "Thank you so much for coming with me, Steven. This really meant alot to me."

He smiled down at her. "Anything for you. I'm always yours. Even when you torture me with this music."

She giggled. "They are way better than you give them credit for."

"Don't push your luck," he growled.

Tory laughed and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long kiss. Her mouth opened with a sigh and Hyde gently explored her mouth with his tongue. Her moan sent shivers down Hyde's spine. _This is worth going to the concert. Definitely._

Tory finally broke apart. "Come on," she said. "We should get back before Red and Kitty come looking for us."

They walked out of the concert and to the Vista Cruiser, which Eric had reluctantly let them borrow in exchange for Tory doing his chores for a couple days. Hyde got in the driver's seat.

"I still can't believe you haven't crashed this car yet," Tory said.

"You can thank Uncle Hot Tub Jonny for that," Hyde said as he started the car. "Not only did he teach me how to drive, but he also taught me how to hotwire a car and evade the cops." He grinned. "Surprisingly all of those skills have come in handy."

Tory laughed along with him. She was the only one he could actually talk about his past with because she didn't look at him with horror or pity, instead understanding it, and even seeing the dark humor. It made it that much easier to trust her and open up to her.

Hyde drove effortlessly into the driveway and parked the car. He grinned to himself. He had marked the car up less than Eric usually did.

Tory leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Since we won't be alone for a little bit," she said. "Thank you so much, Hyde. I love you."

"I love you, Tory." He laced his fingers in hers. "More than anything."

There was a knock on the window and Hyde looked to see Red scowling at them. Hyde sighed and opened the door.

"Don't loiter in the driveway," Red said. "It's almost your curfew."

"Keyword being almost," Hyde said, grinning.

"Get your asses in the house."

Tory wrapped Hyde's arm around her waist as they went inside. She grinned up at him, still happy from the day. She still couldn't believe Hyde had actually gone with her. She'd make sure their next date was something he wanted to do.

Hyde kissed her forehead, smiling down at her. She knew he was happy to see her happy, even though he'd never say something so sappy around others.

Kitty was in the living room watching television. "How was the concert?" she asked.

"Fantastic!" Tory said.

"Better than I thought it would be," Hyde said reluctantly. "Oh, yeah, I got paid today." He took a small roll of bills out of his pocket and handed it to Kitty. "Here you go."

"Well, thank you, sweetie," she laughed as she took the money. "I'm just going to go put this away. The two of you have a good night, now. Separately. And fully clothed." She laughed and then turned off the TV and ran upstairs.

Tory turned to Hyde. "You do know they put the money you give them into a savings account for you, right? Just like the money I give them."

"Yeah," Hyde sighed. "I know. But at least they have it if they need it." He scowled. "This blows, man. It's way easier to help out if the person you're helping out doesn't really care about you. Mr. and Mrs. Forman have to be all nice and generous. It stinks."

"Yeah, I heard what you're saying, and all I'm getting is 'I love my new home, I love it, I love it, I love it!"

Hyde laughed, remembering that was exactly what he had said to Tory when she moved in with the Formans. He leaned down to kiss her. "Whatever."

Red cleared his throat from the living room entrance. "Both of you. Leave. Now."

Tory scowled at him. "You're no fun."

"No. I'm not. You should have figured that out by now."

Hyde and Tory made a show of saying goodnight for Red before Hyde went down to the basement and Tory went up to Laurie's room.

After Hyde and Tory got back together, Red and Kitty decided they just couldn't have them both in the basement at night. So Tory now slept on a cot in Laurie's room. Well, technically.

Laurie was making out with a random boy on her bed when Tory came in. She looked up to scowl at her roommate. "Get. Out."

"Relax, blondie," Tory said. "I won't be here for long. You know that." She plopped down on her cot and sighed.

Laurie's boy toy grinned stupidly at Tory. "Do you wanna join in?"

"No thanks. I'd rather stick a needle in my eye."

Laurie hit the boy in the chest. "Get the fuck out," she said. "Party's over. You were useless anyway."

"Bitch," he scowled at her and then climbed out the window.

Tory smirked. "You sure know how to pick them, don't you?"

Laurie scowled at her. "Oh please. As if you can talk. You're shacking up with the poor orphan boy. But of course that's fitting, for you, Dirty Orphan Annie."

Tory barely stopped herself from punching Laurie. That bitch wasn't worth getting in trouble for, but Tory couldn't stand it when Laurie insulted Hyde. "At least my man can make me come," she said. "Besides, you're just jealous all I have to do is crook my finger and every single one of your boy toys will come crawling over to me."

"Whatever, freak."

The two girls waited in silence with the light off until they were positive Red and Kitty were down for the night. Then Tory got up and silently slipped out while Laurie got on the phone to summon another guy.

Tory smiled to herself as she made her way down to the basement. This was one crime Laurie wouldn't ever tell her parents about, because she enjoyed her privacy. And Tory enjoyed being away from Laurie.

Putting Tory in Laurie's room had been a valiant effort on Red and Kitty's part to keep Tory and Hyde apart. But it wasn't anything more than a minor inconvenience for Tory. After all, Hyde had been right about her. She didn't get caught.

Hyde was waiting for her when she came in. "Hey," he said as she sat beside him on the bed.

"Hi." Tory smiled and kissed him. He kissed her back eagerly as his hands wrapped around her waist. He was incredibly sweet. And no matter what he said, she didn't deserve him.

"Steven, I want you to be rough with me. Now."

"Are you sure?" He looked her hesitantly.

"Yes," she said. "Please. I'm beg-"

He quickly cut her off with a kiss, making Tory smile. Hyde always had hated it when she begged him for anything. It was the best way to make him do what she wanted, but she made sure she only used it if she thought Hyde wanted it, too.

Hyde grabbed her hips and pulled her into his lap so she was straddling him. He groaned and tore off her shirt to squeeze her breasts through her bra. Tory moaned as shocks of pleasure ran through her. She reached behind her and unhooked her bra for better access. Hyde ripped it off her before she could take it off herself, and captured one of her nipples in his mouth. He bit down on it which pinching the other, making Tory moan and then sigh with pleasure.

She grinded into him, his erection prominent through his sweatpants. He hissed, grabbing her hips to pull her down on her back on the bed. Tory grinned as he crawled on top of her, pinning her hands above her head with his own as he claimed her mouth. He grinded into her as he kissed her. Hyde was rough, but it felt wonderful to Tory. It was easy to enjoy surrendering to him when she knew he'd never hurt her. Ever.

Hyde trailed kisses down her neck to her chest as he took off her pants and stroked her bare thighs. His touch sent shockwaves of pleasure through her. Tory gasped as he bit lightly at her collarbone and she spread her legs in offering. Hyde groaned and stroked her through her panties, his touch suddenly becoming gentle and hesitant again.

They hadn't had sex since their breakup, and Hyde hadn't asked for it. Tory knew he never would. He had taken her flinching to heart and was even more careful not to do anything that would make her nervous. But she also knew he wanted it, just like she did. "Do you still keep condoms in your wallet?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said. "We don't have to do that, though."

Tory smiled. "I know. But I want to."

Hyde kissed her again as he produced a condom from his wallet. "I love you," he whispered as he sheathed himself and then entered her. "More than anything."

"I love you too," she said, and bucked her hips up to take him in all the way, making him gasp.

It was slow and gentle. The two of them were telling each other how much they loved the other with their bodies as they finally finished closing the gap Tory's leaving had put between them.

When they were finished, Hyde buried his face in the crook of her neck, breathing hard. She stroked his curls gently, feeling more than winded herself. "Thank you, Hyde," she whispered. "You are so amazing."

He kissed the side of her neck and moved off of her to gather her up in his arms. "Not as amazing as you," he whispered. He pulled the blankets over them as Tory hugged his waist, her eyes drifting shut. "I love you, Tory."

 **A/N: Wow, so that's the end! I'll try to post some deleted scenes soon, but I'm glad you liked the story and thank you everyone who messaged or commented. Thank you so much, guys! You're amazing!**


	35. Deleted Scenes

**A/N: Hey everyone! These are deleted scenes and ideas I had for Tory that I never got a chance to put in the story. Warning: some of these scenes were deleted for character inconsistencies or because of inaccuracy for the time period, so don't be mad. Hope you enjoy them!**

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Tory was now healed enough from the attack to go down to the living room for awhile. And she was definitely healed enough to be causing trouble. Hyde walked into the living room to find Eric, Kelso, and Fez sitting side by side on the couch, all of them with one of their hands over one of their eyes. "What happened here?" he asked. "Did all _three_ of you glue your hands to your faces?" He started laughing. "What the hell, guys? I mean, Kelso, yeah. But the rest of you? Really?"

Eric sighed. "Tory," he said.

Hyde turned to look at Tory who was sitting in Red's chair and grinning like the Devil herself. A sexy Devil, too. She was wearing shorts and a loose knit sweater that had fallen off one shoulder, exposing her shoulder blade that strongly tempted Hyde into leaning down and planting a kiss right at the crook of her neck. "Really?" he said, clearing his throat.

"I was bored. And this was funny."

Hyde shook his head. He had to give Tory props. "Okay. Tell me how you did it."

Tory gestured to the trio on the couch. "Boys? Care to tell Hyde how I did it?"

Fez sighed "Well, Tory said she'd never seen someone glue his hand to his face before. So I volunteered to do it to satisfy her curiosity."

"Yeah," Kelso said quietly. "And he wasn't doing it right. So I needed to show him how to do it properly."

Hyde nodded. "Okay. That makes sense. What's your excuse, Forman?"

"I did _not_ do this voluntarily, okay? Kelso put glue on my hand and told me I had something on my face."

Hyde laughed. "All of you are dumbasses. For once I agree with Red."

"It's not too late to join the party," Tory said. She smiled up at him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "It's fun."

"Yeah, no," Hyde said. "You might be able to get these three to fall for your charms, but you can't get me."

"So you think I'm charming?"

Hyde felt himself flush slightly. "Shut your pie hole."

The front door opened and Bob and Red walked through. Red scowled as soon as he saw everyone in the room. "Tory," he said with exaggerated patience. "Mind telling me why there are three dumbasses on my couch with hands stuck to their faces?"

Tory grinned. "I don't know. Ask Hyde. He did it."

"Oh come on," Hyde said. "Blaming me for this is not cool. But because this is such an impressive prank, I'll take the credit for it."

"Sorry Steven, if you were smart enough to pull this off then I would have walked in on this scene years ago," Red said. "It's Tory who did it."

"I don't know, Red," Bob said. "I think Hyde might have done it."

Red looked at Bob like he was crazy. "What?"

"I'm just saying, he's not exactly the most trustworthy guy."

Hyde raised an eyebrow. Bob, who usually meant well, had a bad habit of talking without thinking, but he was being particularly ballsy by talking shit about Hyde while Hyde was in the room.

Red looked surprised and angry. "You think I let my son hang out with untrustworthy kids, Bob?" The vein in his forehead was starting to stick out.

"I'm just saying-"

"You're just saying what, Bob?" His face was starting to turn red.

"Well, Hyde was the last person to see Tory before she was attacked. Who's to say it wasn't him who did the attacking?"

Everything got deathly quiet all at once. Hyde felt rage and frustration well up inside of him at the accusation and it took a lot of effort to remain where he was instead of running across the room and beating the shit out of Bob. As if he would ever attack Tory. Hurting Tory was the one thing he would never do. _Why the hell would I attack her when all I want to do is protect her?_

Everyone else seemed pretty angry about it as well. Red's face was scarlet and it looked like he was getting a pretty good holler built up. The three stooges on the couch all stood up, talking at once to defend Hyde. But it was Tory who was the angriest. And by far the scariest, injured as she was. She rose shakily to her feet, going pale with the effort, but she started walking slowly towards Bob. "You think _Hyde_ did this to me?" Her voice lowered to a low growl. Everyone backed away, even Red, who seemed to have lost the need to yell with Tory being furious. "I was attacked by _four._ _Fucking. People_ , Bob!"

 _Holy shit,_ Hyde thought. _She never addresses the adults by their first name_.

"Hyde has done nothing but be nice to me! He hasn't done anything but take care of me ever since he fucking met me, and you actually think he _hurt_ me? That he beat me up? On what fucking grounds do you think he would _ever_ attack me?" Tory was only a few inches from Bob and it looks like she was getting ready to punch him.

Bob looked pale and terrified. Red looked at him, slightly amused behind his own anger. "I suggest you run, Bob, before I let Tory punch you."

Bob wordlessly left, probably running as soon as he hit fresh air.

Tory stumbled back, exhausted from the exertion. Eric, Kelso and Fez all reached out to support her, which was comical and inefficient since their hands were still glued to their eyes. Hyde peeled himself from the wall and was at Tory's side in an instant. "That was badass, man," he said as he lightly put his hand on the small of her back.

Tory leaned against him gratefully. "I'm sorry, guys," she said. "I shouldn't have lashed out like that. That was really rude of me. Mr. Pinciotti will be never forgive me."

"Trust me, Tory," Red said. "If you hadn't stepped up I would have given him far worse. But sit down before Kitty finds you standing. And you three, Dumb, Dumber, and Foreign Kid, go elsewhere and try to get your hands unstuck from your faces without breaking shit. Steven, make sure Tory rests. I'm going to go yell at Bob." He walked out the door and Fez, Eric, and Kelso trudged upstairs. That left Hyde and Tory alone.

Hyde guided Tory to the couch, unable to stop from smiling. She had defended him. Sure, she probably would have done the same for anyone, but it had been _him_. That made him way happier than it should. "Thanks, man," he said. "For what you said to Bob."

Tory shrugged and collapsed against the couch. She was exhausted. "I just told the truth. You didn't attack me. It's silly to think that you did. No one person could have done that much damage to me."

"I know, but you still didn't have to defend me. That was pretty awesome." Hyde resisted the urge to hold her hand. He made himself sit on the other side of the couch. _I'm turning into a lovesick fool._ "Do you need anything? Water? Tea? You're not looking that good."

"I'm just tired. I'll be okay. But can you just sit here for awhile? I don't feel like being alone."

"Of course."

Tory bit her lip. "Mr. Pinciotti will never talk to me again."

"Yes he will," Hyde said. "He knows you weren't the one at fault. And he'll get over it. Bob's a good guy, really. He just doesn't always think." He swallowed. It still stung that Bob actually thought he would do something like that, though. Sure they weren't close and Hyde knew his look, attitude, and background didn't exactly inspire confidence in him, but he didn't think Bob would actually believe he was a monster. "Hey, Tory?" Hyde said softly.

"Yeah?"

"You know I'd never hurt you, right? I don't hit girls. Even if a girl was hitting me I wouldn't touch her. So you don't have to be afraid of me, or nervous or anything."He felt so awkward saying it but she needed to know. He wouldn't be able to stand it if she was ever scared of him.

Tory smiled. "I know," she said. "You're really sweet, Hyde. And I know you would never hurt me." She moved closer and kissed him on the cheek. It took all of Hyde's willpower not to turn his head and capture her lips. Damn, she was so amazing. _I want her so bad._

* * *

Hyde went into the basement just as Jackie stopped singing an ABBA song wildly off tune. "No," Tory said. "I told you, think sharp. Your singing falls too flat."

Jackie groaned. "No, this isn't going to work. I've been thinking sharp for over an hour, _Tory_. Do you have any advice that might work?"

Hyde snorted and sat down at his normal seat, across the room from where Jackie and Tory were. "Nothing will work on you," he said, picking up a magazine. "Your voice is hopeless."

Jackie glared at him. "Nobody asked for your opinion, _Hyde_ ," she snapped. She crossed her arms and turned back to Tory. "Maybe if I heard how it was supposed to sound, I could replicate it again."

"Okay." Tory smiled and readjusted the guitar she had on her lap, probably stolen from Kelso. She started playing a complicated guitar solo that she was just making up. "I wasn't jealous before we met," she sang out. "Now every woman I see is a potential threat. And I'm possessive, it isn't nice. You've heard me saying smoking was my only vice."

Hyde's breath hitched as her smooth alto voice washed over him. Damn it, she even made _ABBA_ sound good. Nobody made ABBA sound good.

Tory continued to sing, oblivious to the effect she was having on Hyde. "But now it isn't true. Now everything is new. And all I learned has overturned. I beg of you... don't go wasting your emotion, lay all your love on me."

Hyde's cock hardened instantly. Yeah, he would like to lay all his love on her. If it meant what he was sure it meant. _God, if she doesn't stop singing soon, I'm going to come in my fucking pants._

Unfortunately, Jackie didn't look at all inclined to start singing again. She was listening to the song attentively, almost as mesmerized as Hyde was.

"I feel a kind of fear, when I don't have you near." Tory's voice was smooth and clear, as if she was a damn angel or something. "Unsatisfied, I skip my pride, I beg you dear..."

It sounded like she was singing directly to him, begging him to be with her forever. _Oh, god._ Hyde put down his magazine and ran up the basement stairs, unable to take it anymore. _Stop it. She's not interested in you, moron! Keep your damn distance._

When he reached the kitchen he stopped to catch his breath. Mr. and Mrs. Forman were there. They both looked at him weirdly when he came in. "Steven, what happened?" Kitty asked as she put a sheet of cookies into the oven. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I-I'm fine, Mrs. Forman," he stammered. "Um, ban me from your house. Please." It was torture to be around Tory. He couldn't risk it until he could keep his emotions better in check.

"I'm not going to do that," she said.

Red flicked down his newspaper. "Why not? He's volunteering. This is the happiest day of my life. Steven, consider yourself banned."

"Stop it, Red," Kitty said. She looked at Hyde and crossed her arms. "Is this about Tory? What happened?"

"Nothing happened, Mrs. Forman." _That's kind of the problem._ "Uh, I got to go. Um, have a nice night." He ran out of the house, but no matter how much distance he put between himself and the Formans' house, he still heard Tory's seductive voice in his head: _Lay all your love on me._

* * *

Tory stormed out of the basement. God, what was Hyde's problem? He made no sense sometimes and was so annoying. She grimaced when she ran into Laurie in the kitchen, getting a beer out of the fridge. Perfect. How could her damn day get any worse?

Laurie glared at her. She seemed to be a worse mood than usual too. "Great. Dirty Orphan Annie."

"Yeah, because seeing the whore of Babylon is such a treat for me," Tory said. "Get lost, bitch."

Laurie scowled and took a swig of her beer. "What has your panties all twisted in a bunch?"

"I'm pissed at Hyde," Tory said honestly. "I could ask the same as you."

"I'm pissed at Kelso. He's being an idiot."

"Kelso is an idiot. You should have known better."

"You're one to talk. Hyde's an asshole. _You_ should have known better."

Tory rolled her eyes and then paused and grinned.

Laurie shook her head. "No. Whatever you're thinking, stop it."

"I just thought of a way to get back at both of them," Tory said, grinning. "How bad do you want to get back at Kelso?"

Hyde was reeling from his fight with Tory. And it took everything he had not to take out his frustration on Kelso, who was looking at the TV with a stupid look on his face. _How is he my friend? He's so fucking dumb._ Hyde knew he was being harsh, even in his thoughts. But he was so mad.

Eric came down and hopped on the back of the couch, right next to Kelso. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"Nothing," Hyde snapped. "Shut up and watch the TV."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "What's his problem?" He asked Kelso.

"I don't know. He got into a fight with Tory or something. Shh. This is my favorite part."

Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs a second later. Hyde tensed when he saw Laurie and Tory. Holding hands. "Hey boys," Tory said. "How's it going?" Her arm went around Laurie's shoulder. _Fuck._ Whatever was going on, it was sending a lot of weird emotions through Hyde. Laurie repulsed him, but everything else about the situation was turning him on to know end.

Eric looked at the two of them, looking a little terrified. "Since when did you two get so chummy?"

"Since I decided to try something new, little brother," Laurie said. "Tory talked me into it." She smiled at Tory like she did with her usual conquests. Hyde felt his breath starting to grow ragged and he cleared his throat.

Kelso just looked at the two of them with a dumb look on his face. "What did she talk you into?"

"A date," Tory said. "Why not give Laurie a chance, after all?" Her eyes flicked to Hyde and she grinned wickedly.

"No!" Eric said. "No, this cannot be happening! Oh please tell me this some hideous nightmare that I will wake up from."

"Believe it, little brother," Laurie said.

Tory grabbed Laurie by the hip and pulled her toward her for before kissing her on the mouth. And not a quick kiss, either, but a full on make out session, with tongue and everything.

Hyde heard a small groaning sound and then realized it came from him. All rational thought was gone at the sight of Tory kissing Laurie. His entire body was shaking and his cock was rock hard. The other two looked at the scene with dumbstruck looks on their faces. Kelso's eyes went wide and his mouth dropped open. He made a small squeaking sound before dropping in a dead faint. The two girls finally broke apart, grinning. "Later," Tory said. And the two of them walked out, hand in hand.

For awhile, no one could speak. Hyde was having too difficult a time trying to keep breathing, let alone form words. Then Eric, looking visibly shaken, said. "Unbelievable. I finally get to see two girls make out and it's my sister and my unofficial sister."

* * *

"I'm telling you," Tory said. "I can scare Hyde."

"I think you're confused." Eric said. "Hyde doesn't get _scared_. He _scares_ people. Understand now?"

"Tory," Donna said. " _Nobody_ scares Hyde. Nobody."

"Yeah," Kelso said. "That part of his brain was removed at birth or something." Everyone nodded in agreement.

"I bet each of you five dollars that I will make Hyde run away in terror the next time he walks through that door."

"Fine," everyone said at once.

Tory grinned. "Excellent. Now, I need a piece of paper and a pen."

Eric handed it over to her and she started scribbling on the page. A minute later, Hyde walked in.

"Hey, Tory, what are you doing?" He asked casually, picking a magazine off the floor.

"Designing a car that runs on water," Tory said.

Hyde's mouth dropped open. The magazine slipped from his hands. "What?"

"Yeah," she said. "It's got a fiber-glass, air-cooled engine. And it'll run on _water,_ man."

Hyde paled and then he started shaking. "Oh my god!" He shouted, pointing at Tory. "You're one of them." He ran out of the basement, slamming the door behind him and leaving everyone dumbstruck except Tory who was laughing maniacally.

"I told you," she said. "Everyone pay up."  
They all groaned and got out their wallets.

An hour later, Tory met Hyde in the driveway, grinning. She took out her winnings and divided them in half. "There's your cut," she said, handing half of it over to Hyde before kissing him. "We've got enough to go out for pizza and a movie. Thanks for going along with it."

"I'm always happy to pull one over on my friends." Hyde pulled Tory close for a long kiss. "Hey, Tory?" he asked as he broke off. "How did you know about the car that runs on water?"

Tory laughed. Just like Hyde to forget that he told it in the Circle every time. "Come on, let's go."  
"I'm serious!" Hyde said as he followed Tory. "Are you one of them? Are you? Come on, man!"

* * *

"So, Tory looks like she's making some new friends already," Donna said as she put her lunch tray down on the table.

Hyde looked over at Tory who was sitting with Fat Rhonda and Buddy. They were laughing as if they had been friends forever. "Yeah, I guess so," he said.

"I can't believe Buddy is hanging out with those two," Jackie said. "He's rich and popular. There's nothing he has in common with those two losers."

 _Yeah, except Buddy is secretly an outsider too, being gay and all._ "Tory's not a loser," he said instead.

Jackie rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. She's the _new kid_. That automatically puts her in the loser category."

"Oh no," Donna said, paling.

"What oh no?" Hyde's head whipped back around to see a douchey-looking senior approaching Tory's table. He tensed, hating the sight of him. "Who the hell is that guy?"

"That's Buddy's older brother, Dylan," Donna said. "He's an elitist slimeball."

"Wow. My favorite type of person." Hyde scowled at the newcomer who was now sitting next to Tory, his arm going around his shoulders. He started drumming his fingers on the table. "He's getting pretty handsy with her, don't you think."

Eric bit into his apple. "Calm down, Hyde," he said. "Tory can handle herself and she wouldn't appreciate you causing a scene on her first day of school."

"I was just making a comment. I wasn't about to go over and rip the guy's head off." Yes, he was. Even now he was thinking about it. He turned away, struggling to keep his zen in place.

Eric's eyes widened. "Don't look now but they're coming our way."

Hyde sighed. "Tell me you mean Lucifer and the angel of death and not Tory and Dylan."

"Hey guys!" Tory said. "Guess what? Dylan's going to help me put on a benefit show for the homeless shelter."

Donna recovered from her shock first and smiled. "That's great!"

"Yes," Dylan said. He smirked at all of them. "The little bums don't exactly deserve it, but what the hell, right? It won't cost me anything significant, just thirty grand or so. And it'll make Tory happy." He looked down at her and smiled, but he wasn't looking at her face. Hyde felt a low growl starting in his throat and coughed to cover it up.

Tory smiled up at Dylan, looking a little starry-eyed. "Isn't he so generous?"

Hyde felt he was going to be sick. He stared straight ahead and focused on keeping his zen in place.

"Yeah, so generous," Donna said wryly.

Dylan sighed and looked at his Rolex. "I'll let you talk to your cute little friends alone for a few minutes, Tory. I need to go to orchestra practice." His hand actually moved to Tory's ass and squeezed it for a second. Tory giggled in response.

When he was gone, Tory grinned at her friends and sat down next to Hyde who still wasn't capable of moving or speaking without losing his fucking mind. "So, isn't it great? We'll be able to raise so much money. And Dylan said that if I wanted to do more adult songs or dance moves then that would be fine. He'd talk to who he needed to to get it approved."

Of course he would. After all he wanted plenty of new material to jack off to.

Eric looked at Tory, dumbfounded. "You seriously like _that_ guy?"

"Yeah," Tory said. "Why, what's wrong with him?"

"What's _wrong_ with him?" Donna asked. "You're kidding right? Don't you think he's a little arrogant?"  
"He's just awkward," Tory said. "Come on, you've read _Pride and Prejudice_. You know arrogance isn't always arrogance."

"He grabbed your ass, Tory! Mr. Darcy never did anything like that."

"Hey, be happy for Tory," Jackie said. "Dylan is rich, a senior, and not even fat. He's a good catch."

Eric shook his head in disbelief. "Hyde," he said. "Tell her she's crazy. Maybe she'll listen to you."

Hyde clenched his jaw. What he really wanted to do was find Dylan and put him in the hospital for a month for handling Tory like that. But Tory's giggles and smiles flashed through his mind again. _Fuck._ "Nah, it's cool," he said. "Tory, if you like him, then good for you, man. Hope you guys work out."

"What?" Eric and Donna said at the same time.

Tory smiled. "Thanks, Hyde. You are a really good friend. I'll see you guys later, okay? And when the benefit concert has a date, make sure all of you can come, all right?" She waved and then walked off. Hyde ignored Eric's and Donna's looks of disbelief and focused on the wall again. His stomach was churning and his foot was tapping to get out the angry energy, but maybe Dylan coming into the picture was a good thing. Hyde had already fucked up by coming on too strong after Tory was attacked. Maybe seeing her happy with another guy would help him get over it.

Weeks went by and Tory and Dylan were still going out. They sat together at lunch, planning the concert and talking about who knows what. According to Eric they also spent a lot of time outside of school as well. Hyde tried to ignore it but he still heard about all the fancy restaurants Dylan took her to, the concerts, the dances, the presents he bought her, everything. His generosity didn't stop there, though. He also gave the Formans a vacation at his parents' house in Hawaii and seemed to have a gift buying problem. He even gave Eric a Hans Solo action figure signed by Harrison Ford himself because apparently he knew a guy who knew a guy. Hyde had to give Eric props for not being completely won over for that.

Hyde still wasn't over Tory by the time of the concert. Not even close. He seemed to want her more and more everyday, to the point it was dangerous to be around her without betraying how he really felt. But he bought a ticket to the benefit concert anyway. He might hate Dylan to no end but he'd still support Tory to no end as well.

The concert was being held in a dinner theater that was a strange place for the rock music that Tory had planned out. Tables set with dinnerware and white linen tablecloths made up the audience. They all faced a stage with a red velvet curtain. Amps, a drum set, and guitars were all set up and ready to go when Hyde and the rest of the gang got there. They immediately pushed two tables together so they could all sit with each other. In the distance, Hyde could see Red and Kitty up front, talking to Dylan.

"I can't believe she's still dating him," Donna said. "I want to punch him every time I see his arrogant face."

"I can't believe he's still dating _her_ ," Jackie said. "He has a long history of short relationships."

"Tory's a witch, man," Hyde said. "She lets out a magic that makes guys want to commit."

"Is that the spell she hit you with?" Eric asked, smirking.

"Shut up," Hyde scowled.

"I still don't know why you haven't told her how you feel, man. I mean, you've never liked a girl as much as you clearly like Tory."

"She's in a relationship, man. I don't do other guy's girlfriends."

"Yeah," Donna said. "But he's an arrogant loser and she deserves better. You can see that, right?"

Of course he could see that. No guy was good enough for Tory, least of all Hyde or Dylan. But it didn't matter. Tory chose Dylan. "Look, she's happy," Hyde said. "She likes him. And so far there's no signs that he's beating her or cheating on her or anything. Tory's clearly comfortable around him and he makes her happy and is able to care for her and buy her whatever she wants. I'm not going to mess with that. So back off."

"Oh my god," Kelso said. He looked at Hyde, shocked. "You love her."

Everyone else looked at Hyde, waiting for confirmation. He scowled. He didn't know why they needed him to confirm it. If Kelso could figure it out then it must be glaringly obvious. "Let's drop it, okay? It doesn't matter."

The concert was amazing, of course. Tory had bewitched the whole audience completely. Hyde felt his entire body thrum with desire the entire time and he knew he wasn't the only guy in the room to feel it. When Tory was on stage and singing she was a goddess. She had the ability to wipe objections and common sense out of people's heads and make them do whatever she wanted. By the time she was three songs in, all Hyde wanted to do was fall at her feet and give her everything she asked for just for the privilege of spending time with her. No, it didn't surprise him at all that Dylan was still with Tory. He had to be under the same spell.

Tory continued belting out songs, each one sounding better than the last. She even made Pat Benatar sound good, especially with the dance she was doing, with her hips moving slowly and seductively. "You're the right kind of sinner," she belted out as she walked off the stage and into the audience. "To release my inner fantasy." She kept going forward, a seductive smile on her face as she walked to Dylan at the table in the front and then straddled his lap, much to gasps all through the crowd. "The invincible winner, you know what you were born to be. A heartbreaker, dream maker, love taker, don't you mess around with me." She got up and moved away from him in one smooth move, before going back up to the stage, leaving Dylan in what looked like the middle of an orgasm. Hyde had never been so jealous of anyone as he was of Dylan in that moment.

After the concert, Tory made a great speech, thanking everyone for their support and saying how much it meant to her and the homeless shelter. The speech led to thunderous applause as she walked off stage. How Tory managed to act with all the charm of a Disney princess after living on the street, Hyde would never know. When everyone else filed out of the building, he said goodbye and left, not wanting to stick around to see Tory and Dylan play host and then make out. He went to the water tower to be alone and clear his head.

Hyde felt so much frustration, jealousy and longing, he couldn't think. Tory's voice and face clouded his mind. All he wanted to do was be with her, but he never could be. He had meant what he'd said to the others. Dylan might be a schmuck, but he made Tory happy. She didn't flinch around him or stiffen when he touched her. And Dylan certainly had the ability to give Tory things Hyde couldn't. He could treat her well and give her the lifestyle she deserved. If Tory wanted to, she'd never have to work or worry about money again, not while dating Dylan. She was safe and secure.

And Hyde would have to keep reminding himself that every time he wanted to rip Daniel's arms off.

"Mind if I join you?"

Hyde looked down to see Tory deftly clinging to the ladder. He shrugged. "Sure, why not? You were amazing by the way. And it looks like you got a good turnout."

"Yeah," Tory grinned and sat next to Hyde. "Thanks to Dylan's connections we were able to raise almost a hundred grand for the shelter. I never would have been able to do it without him."

"Wow," Hyde said flatly. He cleared his throat. "So why are you with him right now? I would have thought that he'd want to take you to a celebration banquet or something."

"He did," Tory said. "But I broke up with him as soon as the money was handed over to the shelter."

Shocked, Hyde turned to look at Tory. "What? Are you okay? What happened?"

She nodded and grinned. "Yeah. I'm totally fine, don't worry. Dylan, on the other hand, maybe not. After all, he lost the Lesbian Bet."

"Lesbian Bet? Hold on. Start from the beginning."

"Well, before Dylan approached me about the concert, Buddy told me about this rumor going around school that I was a lesbian- apparently people really don't know the meaning of bisexual- and that Dylan had this bet with his friends that he would be able to nail the lesbian."

Hyde's hands tightened into fists. The next time he saw Dylan he was going to smash his pretty boy face in. "If you knew about this bet, then why did you go out with him in the first place?"

"For the concert. Duh. I wanted to raise money for the homeless shelter somehow and Dylan is loaded and pretty well connected. He was all too willing after I started dropping hints about how good deeds turn me on and everything. Oh, and that I'm willing to sleep with a man if he gives me enough expensive jewelry." She grinned. "I'm pawning all the jewelry tomorrow for additional donations."

Hyde grinned. He couldn't believe it. Tory had totally conned him. "You are merciless. I love it."

She bit her lip. "You're not mad at me or anything?"

"No. Why would I be mad at you?" He just wanted her more than ever now.

"You seemed pretty mad tonight, and you've kind of been avoiding me ever since I started dating Dylan and I did just tell you I've been lying to you about the whole thing. Isn't that plenty to be mad about?"

"Tory, I'm not mad at you. I hated seeing you with that asshole because it's so obvious he didn't deserve you. But I was never mad at you." It was the truth. He doubted he could ever be mad at her. She really was a damn witch.

Tory smiled. "Good. You want to go get something to eat?" She held up an expensive leather wallet. "I stole this from Dylan when I gave him a lap dance during Heartbreaker."

Hyde groaned. This night couldn't get any better. "You are diabolical. Yes, I'd love to get food on Dylan's dime. Let's go get something expensive."

* * *

 **A/N: That's it, folks! I can't believe I'm finally at the end! Thank you so much for reading and enjoying Tory, and I hoped you liked these deleted scenes as well. Sorry this section is so long! I wasn't expecting it. Please let me know what you think! And thank you so much! You're all amazing!**


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